


Someone To You

by bibingkaa



Series: Someone To You [1]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: 2jin - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn, chuuves - Freeform, fansite au, hyewon, just a lil angst for now, lipsoul, viseul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:29:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 73,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24699106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bibingkaa/pseuds/bibingkaa
Summary: "It is believed that the natural law between the love cherished by idols and their fans is definitely one of a kind and irreplaceable, but that love can only go so far within its boundaries and limitations.However, that law doesn't seem to apply to monster rookie idol, Jeon Heejin and her fansite Kim Hyunjin."
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin, Jo Haseul/Viian Wong | ViVi, Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip, Park Chaewon | Go Won/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye
Series: Someone To You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107740
Comments: 57
Kudos: 359





	1. Hyunjin

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo everyone! 
> 
> This is my first time writing a fanfic so I was really shy to share it, but here's the very first chapter! I hope you guys get to enjoy this as much as I did! Also, I'll make sure to update as much as I can so I don't keep you guys waiting for too long <3 
> 
> All my love to those who pushed me to write this! You guys know who you are :>
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

Heejin stares into her reflection on the mirror with her innocent chocolate-colored eyes, checking herself out head-to-toe for the 12th time in less than a minute. She leans forward towards the glass while her gentle hands tuck the loose strands of her long soft wavy brown hair behind her ears, making sure that she looks absolutely perfect. It is a big day for her after all. It is not long until her attention is eventually brought to the sound of knocking on the door. The woman with bobbed hair wearing a white button-up is followed by another with shoulder-length hair, wearing a leather jacket paired with a white top enters the room. The latter flops on the couch as the other woman starts to speak.   
  


“Hey, it’s about to start in a few minutes. are you ready?”   
  


Heejin turns around to face the familiar voice talking to her. She takes a few steps toward her with worried eyes and starts to babble “Haseul-unnie! Do I look okay? Do you think I should wear these pairs of earrings or the ones over there? Or do you th—“.

“Gosh Heejin you’re worrying too much. I know it’s your first time but you literally have a  _ horde _ of sweaty men waiting outside for you.” the woman comfortably sitting on the couch cuts her off jokingly.

“Sooyoung, don’t go scaring her off like that.” Haseul scolds the girl and turns her gaze to Heejin who seems quite nervous. “Heej.. you always look perfect” Haseul says while fixing parts of the girl’s lacy dress “It’s just a fanmeet. Just like what Sooyoung said, a lot of fans are waiting for you — _ hell _ , you already have so many fansites.” 

The brunette’s tense shoulders slowly slackens as Sooyoung and Haseul reassures her with a big smile. The three women have known each other for a few years, all the way back when Sooyoung and Heejin were in their trainee days. Before the idol made her recent debut, Haseul was the manager of Yves, which is Sooyoung’s stage name, until their famous CEO transferred her to Heejin — Viian Wong. Now, she treats them like her own family. 

“Well I mean..I  _ am _ kind of excited” the girl pauses for a moment and lets out a soft laugh “..I just didn’t really expect so many people to come.” she says honestly.

“How did you not expect that? You were out there breaking records and topping charts left and right. It was  _ crazy _ for an artist who just debuted. Even I took some time to reach where I am now.” Sooyoung stands up as she reminds the younger girl to give her a bit more confidence “and this is just the beginning for you Heej.” 

“I still can’t believe it, it hasn’t even sunk in yet.” she responds as her cheeks turn pink from the compliment.

The taller celebrity moves nearer to Heejin and places her arm around her shoulder. “Well you did that, you were  _ that _ bitch” Sooyoung says with conviction.

The small white room is filled with teasing and laughter as the three women continue to enjoy each other’s company for a few more minutes. Sooyoung and Haseul know how nervous Heejin gets, especially because everything is a new experience for her, so they make sure to calm her nerves and boost her confidence before she faces her newly found fans. 

Haseul snaps out of the lively atmosphere when she remembers the responsibility she has. “I’m sorry to ruin the fun girls but it’s almost time.” Haseul announces while tapping her wristwatch with her index finger.

Heejin takes a deep breath in, closing her eyes at the same time and exhaling slowly. She takes one last look at the mirror to examine her breathtaking appearance and makes her way towards the door that is being held wide open by her remarkable manager.

She steps out from the waiting room and she can already hear the loud cheers from the crowd. Every step she takes, only makes the noise coming from the venue even more deafening. She knows that this will be one of the moments in her life that she will not be able to forget. First times are special and have always been scary but at the same time exciting. No one really knows what could happen at those times but Heejin believes that’s the thrill of life.

They are just several steps away from the stage when Heejin hears the audience roaring loudly. She carefully tiptoes towards where the sound is coming from, giving her a quick peek of the audience.  _ No way this is real, _ she tells herself, blinking multiple times to make sure she isn’t imagining. 

“I’ll just be behind you if you need me okay?” Haseul says softly, standing closely behind Heejin.

The girl rotates her head towards her shoulder to see her manager. She gives her a convincing nod along with a bright smile.

“Well I’ll be on the side if you need me. Anyways..Go! You’re making your male fans even sweatier.” Sooyoung jokes while shooing Heejin away with her hand and leaves to catch up to Haseul.

Finally, when she is all alone and only excitement flows through her veins, she takes a breath in before walking out to reveal herself, giving out the widest smile enough to make everyone fall in love with her.

She waves with both of her hands in all directions as she scans everyone in front of her. The sound of the crowd chanting her name and the clicks from the cameras immediately fills the venue. She makes her way at the middle of the stage while holding the microphone on her right hand and warmly greets her overly-energetic fans. The idol’s cheeks instantly turn red when they go crazy from hearing her sweet voice from the speakers, making her feel bashful. 

She takes a chance to look across the other side of the room when she sees Sooyoung and Haseul giving her a thumbs up, making her smile even bigger. 

***

Heejin continues to sign albums and posters willingly while giving 100% of her attention to her fans, making sure that they know she’s listening. She could notice some of them stuttering and shaking but who wouldn’t be when they are face-to-face with a real life goddess. Although it is out of her control, she still tries her best to make them feel comfortable around her. 

She really could not express how happy she is right now. If her past self were to see her at this very moment, she would surely be proud that all her hard work was worth it. The way that she is receiving so much love from her fans, gave her enough energy to last for a whole day, maybe even more. Sooyoung was kind of right when she said there were a bunch of men waiting for her, all she’s met so far are men. She isn’t a person to complain though, she sincerely appreciates every person who came. 

As she plays with the plastic gun that shoots out bubbles the previous fan gave her, a pair of hands with rings and pretty nails slides an album towards her. She looks up to see a girl wearing a fuzzy yellow sweater with long dark red hair, smiling at her nervously. “Hi! Let me sign that for you!” she says, breaking the awkwardness with her bubbly personality as she reaches for her black sharpie. “So what’s your name?” 

The girl is unable to answer the celebrity for a few seconds. She is dumbfounded on how more beautiful she is in real life, better yet, inches away from her. Heejin catches her staring intensely and gives her a toothy smile making her snap back to reality. “Hyu— I mean please write ‘My Heekki’”

“Oooh! I guess you're a fansite of mine? Am I right?” Heejin grins, her eyes lighting up as she gazes directly into the other girl.

“Y-Yeah! I was a fan ever since predebut so when I heard you were finally going to debut, I was really excited! After your MV dropped, I couldn’t stop listening to your son—” the redhead babbles but bites her tongue to stop herself from talking too much.  _ Oh god Hyunjin did you just overshare? You’re literally embarrassing yourself in front of the one and only Jeon Heejin, _ she scolds herself internally.

“That makes me really glad! I’ll make sure to work hard to be better in the future so I hope you continue to support me.” the brunette replies to the compliments thrown at her, slowly reaching out to return the album.

“Thank you..” she utters shyly, taking the albums from Heejin, slightly grazing unto her fingertips. She musters up some courage to keep the conversation going by telling her some puns. Hyunjin is very much aware that she is quite awkward but she knows that she has a sense of humor and Heejin confirms it by releasing an adorable laugh.

After a few jokes back and forth she notices another fan who is lined up, preparing to go up next and realizes time flew by too fast, remembering she still has a letter and a stuffed animal to give to the idol. “Oh I almost forgot! These are for you Heejin.” She says lowering her head to hide her flushed cheeks as she hands her over the stuffed toy and pink envelope which is sealed with wax from a tote bag she is carrying over her shoulder. “I thought it looked cute and it reminded me of you when I saw it”. 

“Awww you’re so sweet!” Heejin replies, taking the items from Hyunjin. “I promise I’ll read your letter as soon as possible!” she assures the other before Haseul escorts her down the stairs. 

Hyunjin’s legs feel weak as if she didn’t know how to walk again. She looks down at her shaking hands, replaying what just happened in her head over and over. Her cute laugh, her charming smile, her captivating brown eyes, her enchanting voice — it was like a dream. She just met _ the _ Jeon Heejin and called her  _ sweet _ . Sure, she could’ve said those same words to others but that didn’t matter to Hyunjin, whatever Heejin said, she would’ve liked anyways.

She manages to head back to her assigned seat on the third row despite her wobbly legs. Before bending down to get her camera, she feels her phone from her backside pocket vibrating like it’s about to blow up from all the notifications it’s getting.

She quickly takes a peek to see text messages from Choi Yerim — her best friend and her partner-in-crime ever since they met in elementary, but slides her phone back down to where it was before. 

She knows it’s probably just her best friend talking about her new job or sending cute cat pics but she’s sure that the other won’t mind if she replies a bit later than usual. She sets her priorities straight once again as she focuses her dslr to the goddess wearing white.

Heejin on the other hand, has always been great with fanservice. This may be her first fanmeet, but it isn’t her first time to face her fans. She would try her best to do different poses to entertain her fan sites while waiting for the next fan to meet her. 

Although she knows that she can’t multitask well offstage, she is confident in putting an outstanding performance while being able to interact with the crowd. Those are one of the reasons why the leading company in the music industry, ViVi Entertainment, took her in. Viian Wong saw her potential the moment she was scouted and immediately told Haseul to convince her to sign a contract with the company.

When the event is about to wrap up, the crowd makes a sad noise in unison. Heejin mentions how much fun she had and how much strength they gave her today. She gets a bit emotional making her last speech as she promises them that they’ll cross paths again someday and that she’ll work harder to be a better Heejin in the future. The audience continues to chant her name as she raises the microphone once again to sing them her hit song “I know you guys have been waiting for this. Here’s ViVid!”.

***

“Wah! those chicken wings were  _ soooooo  _ good..” Sooyoung squeals in delight, her head tilting towards the ceiling with her eyes closed, daydreaming about the food she just ate while rubbing her toned belly.

“Well.. you’re welcome” Heejin says softly following up with a smile as she tries to recline the soft leather seat to fit her liking. She adjusts her position letting her body sink into the chair.  _ Wow _ she thinks to herself. Everything still feels new to her, especially the fact that she gets a spacious van to herself since she’s officially an artist now. Her train of thought suddenly gets interrupted by the sound of Haseul shutting the car door. 

“You know, there was a time Heejin kept begging me to drive her here a few weeks ago and when I finally did, we had it for an _ entire _ week.” Haseul says while buckling her seatbelt and facing Sooyoung, who seems to look offended by the confession.

“What the fuck guys?! You’ve been eating  _ that _ shit without me? I’ve never felt so betrayed in my whole life. Don’t even touch me.” she complains with exaggeration as she faces the window, defeated from the thought that they’ve kept the delicious goodness away from her. Heejin and Haseul glances at each other, holding back their laughs at the other girl’s attempt to look disappointed.

“Fine.. since you’re being so ungrateful? I guess I’ll just get your w—“ Heejin teases as she snatches the wallet from Sooyoung’s black Balenciaga purse, cutting her sentence short when her labelmate’s reflexes quickly grab onto it. Heejin tightens her grip as they play tug-of-war.

“You know Heejin, you’re _ such  _ a great friend. Thank you for ending my hunger with that delicious meal. I will _ forever _ be grateful for your kindness.” Sooyoung showers her compliments as she places one hand on her chest and then starts to wipe her fake tears from her eyes. Heejin breaks her grip from the wallet as she rolls her eyes all the way to the back because of the girl’s ridiculous acting. Sooyoung hugs her wallet like it was missing for a century. 

The manager laughs upon hearing their sarcastic conversation. “Gosh these two.. sometimes I don’t know if I’m really a manager or a babysitter” she says under her breath as she starts the engine of the van.

Haseul enjoys listening to the celebrities argue about nonsense while keeping her eyes on the road although glancing at the rear side mirror every once in a while to judge them. After a few minutes, the passengers find themselves growing tired from all the playfulness as their voices slowly die down until silence fills the vehicle. The whole ride was pretty long considering how far the venue was from the apartment building where the idols live. Both of them are scrolling through their phones until Heejin gasps.

“What?” Sooyoung asks while also getting the attention of Haseul.

“It’s all the pictures my fansites took earlier. Look!” Heejin replies in excitement, shoving the phone in front of Sooyoung. 

The taller girl moves back a little, squinting her eyes that were blinded from the brightness of the phone. She moves closer to the other girl, taking the gadget and placing it in between them so they can look at it together. 

“In this one, you kinda look like you’re one second from dying because of how pale they edited yo— _ OH _ but in this one you look like a bunny” Sooyoung continues to criticize more images but simultaneously receiving light punches from Heejin everytime she would make fun of her. 

The teasing and jokes keep going back and forth, almost like it was endless. They do not even notice that the vehicle has stopped until someone knocks on the window, making their heads lift towards the noise — It’s Haseul who is pointing to the apartment building behind her. They make their way down the luxurious van, giving their legs a good stretch. Haseul walks towards them as she hands both of them paperbags of different sizes containing all the items Heejin received from the event earlier. As they start to walk to the entrance of the tall white structure, Heejin doesn’t hear the footsteps of her manager following behind her. “Unnie? Are you not coming up with us? I have this really good cake in the fridge.” she asks loudly.

“It’s fine!” she shakes her head, declining the offer. “Yeojin has been annoying me to watch this movie with her and you know Yeojin..” she says, emphasizing the last three words. The two girls nod in agreement, understanding very well what she means the moment Haseul mentions her younger sister’s name. They wave her goodbye as they watch the black van disappear from their vision before they proceed to the elevators. 

They head up to the 19th floor where both of them reside, passing by Heejin’s apartment first. The owner drops the paper bags gently to type the door’s passcode so they can enter. They place the heavy baggages on the countertop, giving a sigh of relief at the same time. 

“Thanks for today.” Heejin says while looking at Sooyoung with sincerity in her eyes. “Honestly, I thought you weren’t actually gonna come..” she speaks out with a smirk

“Ya! I might be a busy idol but I ain't a bad friend” the labelmate claps back while Heejin scoffs at her statement. “Shit. I have to go” she says in a panicked voice after reading a text from her phone, placing her hand on her forehead.

“Why? What’s wrong?” her best friend asks out of concern.

“I’m gonna end up homeless if I don’t stop Hyejoo from burning another pack of nuggets” she speaks as she picks up her belongings, advancing nearer to the door. “Save me some cake some other time okay?” 

Heejin is about to respond, however the woman has already left her apartment, leaving her all alone in her humble abode. She opens the fridge and looks for the belgian chocolate cake she has been craving all day. She puts the tray, carrying the moist dessert and a glass of water, down on her coffee table and lets her body collapse onto the cozy loveseat. 

Her gaze meets the paper bags containing all the plushies and letters she received from earlier today. Her heart starts to melt when she begins to reminisce her first fanmeet. Never in a million years would she have imagined to be loved by so many people since she only debuted four weeks ago but because of that, it gave her enough reasons to work even harder in the future.

After indulging in the snack, she changes into an oversized Totoro shirt as her pajamas with a pink headband pulling her baby hair back and a pair of fluffy slippers, finishing the last steps on her night skincare routine. She hops in her king-sized bed wrapping herself in her soft comforter before going through her phone for a few minutes. Her hands rub her tired eyes as they get heavier with each scroll, yawning every once in a while. 

It’s around _10_ _p.m._ and the exhaustion from today’s activities is slowly starting to creep throughout Heejin’s body. She sets her alarm, hoping she will wake up early knowing she has to come by to the company tomorrow. As soon as her eyes close, her body gives in to the fatigue, falling into a deep sleep.

***

_ 10:12 p.m _ . the digital clock flashes from Hyunjin’s SUV. She feels a bit pressed on time knowing her best friend has been waiting for her for quite some time now, making her tap the steering wheel restlessly. Maybe she could’ve gotten to her destination earlier if it weren’t for the heavy traffic, also considering it was a pretty long ride back from the venue. She turns right as she sees a big sign leading to an awfully familiar cafe, parking on an empty spot in front of it. 

Looking through the cafe windows, she immediately recognizes the bright purple-haired employee who is dressed in a black apron and cap, wiping several coffee mugs before placing it back on a shelf. 

Before hopping down she remembers the outfit she’s wearing and it will probably freak Yerim out seeing that it’s not so like her to dress cutely. Hyunjin is known to be slightly boyish and tough. Her closet and outfits would usually just be a mix of dark colored clothing so it would kind of be strange for her best friend. She wouldn’t want to be teased after all. Fortunately, being an athlete as well, she always carries a small duffle bag on the back containing a few extra clothes. She pulls out a flannel shirt, changing into it quickly and tossing her sweater on the backseat, covering her camera equipment..

The bells attached on top of the glass doors echoes as it opens, alerting the worker that someone has entered the cafe. “I’m sorry we’re closed, please come by another time!” she exclaims as she stays focused with her cleaning duties

“Hyun!!” a girl with brown bangs shouts, wrapping her arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders. Her energy is radiating through her voice and bright smile,.making the employee raise her head to find herself facing Hyunjin who seems like she’s being strangled. Despite the other girl’s petite figure, she pretty much has the strength of a wild beast. What else would people expect from a taekwondo black belter?

“U-Unnie” Hyunjin says as she struggles to get out of the tight greeting of Chuu’s arm. When she finally escapes, she fixes herself while asking her best friend who has been giggling for awhile. “Anyways what’s the emergency? You literally spammed my phone and didn’t even bother to answer my calls'' 

“Oh I just needed a ride home” Yerim says in a sweet tone, giving a cheeky smile. “If I had answered my phone you wouldn’t have come anyway” she continues.

Hyunjin slowly opens her mouth in disbelief. “ _ Wha _ — Isn’t Jinsoul-unnie here to pick you up?” She mentions Yerim’s older sister who is usually here often considering the fact she’s been dating Jungeun, the fellow co-owner and childhood best friend of Chuu.

“They’re out on a date tonight.” the purple-haired employee replies, finishing her last batch of mugs to wipe. 

“I literally had to go through all that traffic to get here.” Hyunjin says in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Please? Here I’ll give you bread if you want” she bribes, handing her a warm croissant from the glass display, knowing Hyunjin wouldn’t refuse bread any day and the girl takes it anyways.

“ _ Huh, _ why didn’t you ask me? I could’ve driven you home!” Chuu insists. The two younger girls look at each other with hesitant eyes, sending the same message telepathically. They’ve been friends for so long that they could understand each other without saying a single word. 

“Yea— Nope, I’ll pass.” Yerim declines her offer as both girls won’t forget the moment the first and most probably the last time they would ever let Chuu drive them. It was when both of the girls tagged along with her to the movies and the second she set her foot on the gas pedal, they knew they were  _ fucked _ . After a hell of a ride consisting of both Chuu’s road rage and their silent prayers, Yerim leaned on Hyunjin’s shoulder as her world spun while the other kept her tight grip on the car handle hoping it was over. Never again did they step foot into Chuu’s car.

“Like.. did you even get your license??” Hyunjin scoffs then taking a bite of the delicious croissant

“Yeah! Don’t believe me? Look for yourself! _ Hmph _ ” the woman confidently responds, rummaging through her red handbag to pull out something from her wallet and turning her head away from them.

“Unnie.. that's a student's permit and can I also say that it’s been expired fo _ r 2 damn years _ .” Hyunjin utters skeptically while staring at the piece of paper, making Yerim drop her jaw agape.

“Fine— but at least I’m living life on the edge.” Chuu retorts from embarrassment. “Also it’s getting pretty late for you two, I can close down the cafe for tonight.” she goes back to her loud yet soothing voice. Both girls nod simultaneously in agreement and Yerim proceeds to the authorized personnel area to place her uniform while Hyunjin waits by the counter.

Yerim comes out of the staff room and both girls bid their goodbyes to the co-owner who is holding a small chain attached with a padlock, which is meant to wrap metal braces of the two glass doors. Chuu gives them a tight hug, squishing them closely to one another. As soon as she releases her embrace, the two best friends make their way towards the redhead’s SUV with Yerim following behind the other and starting to chatter about her day at work. Although Hyunjin isn’t making eye contact, Yerim knows that she is listening. They both hop into the vehicle and her talkative best friend is still going on over the rude man she encountered earlier that day. Both of them are buckling up until Yerim notices a yellow sweater that is inside out on the backseat. 

“Hyun..” the girl says, staring at the piece of clothing. Hyunjin turns her head towards Yerim as her attention is caught by the strange tone to the other’s voice. Her eyes widen as she looks in the same direction as her friend. She completely forgot about the garment and she tries to find an excuse quickly but it’s too late as she hears Yerim’s shriek “ _ OMG Hyun are you dating again?!”.  _ Hyunjin internally panics, trying to find the right words to say. She repeatedly shakes her head no but the other girl continues. “Oh god what did you do here?!” 

Hyunjin cuts her best friend from spitting out so many words as if she was rapping by holding her arm. She doesn’t know what else to do but to admit what she was hiding. She stutters her words but Yerim’s voice overlaps her. “You know what? I don’t even want to know what happened here.” as the employee buckles her seatbelt and looks ahead into the windshield. Hyunjin somehow finds her composure and calms herself down, relieved that she doesn’t have to explain the truth.  _ That could work too,  _ she thinks to herself. 

They work their way out the parking lot into the main road. Yerim picks up the aux cord that is usually attached onto the radio and plugs it into her phone. She picks out and queues several songs from her playlist. Both of them quite have similar taste when it comes to music but most of the time Hyunjin would prefer to listen to bands but somehow she got herself into Heejin’s music, although that part is still a little secret.

Halfway through the drive, they’re at the point where they’re singing on top of their lungs. Both of them would laugh at each other whenever a voice cracks during a high note.Yerim plays a lot of throwback songs that they grew up to, hitting them with a sense of nostalgia. Hyunjin may be a little intimidating and quiet at first glance but little do people know that she is capable of being loud too as soon as she’s comfortable. 

As soon as the song they are vibing comes to end, they are pretty tired from all the headbangs and dancing from their seats. Yerim then asks Hyunjin if she can play a song she’s been really into lately and the driver nods her head, still focused on the road. “This has been stuck in my head for  _ weeks _ now.” the passenger scrolls with excitement in her voice.

With the first second of the song, Hyunjin very well knows what it is since she too, has Heejin’s voice stuck in her head 24/7. She stays quiet, holding herself back from bursting into song as Yerim just sings along ViVid passionately with her fake invisible microphone. She can’t help but smile a little knowing she met the idol a few hours ago. It still feels unreal to her and she still is feeling embarrassed about how shy she was but accepts it anyways since it’s normal for a person to feel nervous when they’re faced with someone they look up to especially if they have god-like visuals and the voice of an angel. While she replays everything in her head, her best friend sitting next to her is so concentrated on performing the whole thing that she isn’t able to see the person beside her mouthing the lyrics softly.

After dropping off Yerim on the sidewalk, it isn’t long until Hyunjin reaches her apartment just 2 kilometers away separating her from her best friend's house. Ever since she moved out from her parents during her college years, they live relatively near each other. It gave both of them a chance to get even closer since Yerim would always come by to chill at her place whether just to eat takeout or watch random movies from Netflix. 

She enters her apartment with quite a bit of a mess she left before heading out. She throws the used sweater from earlier in the laundry hamper and grabs her camera as she takes a seat on the chair where her desk is located. She pulls the laptop laying on her table and opens it gently. She logs into her fansite account where she has a large number of followers and edits her high definition shots with a watermark before posting them. 

At the beginning, Hyunjin never really understood what it feels like to be a fansite. She never really thought much about it until she became one. She realizes how much work and effort it is to be one especially when it comes to the weather and money. However, the latter isn’t much of a problem to her. She was born in a wealthy family after all but she prefers to keep that part of her life lowkey with only her closest of friends knowing about it. Although she is aware of all those things, she honestly enjoys being one and would do anything for her favorite artist.

***

It has only been 15 minutes ever since Heejin set foot in ViVi Entertainment, feeling much more refreshed and energized from yesterday’s high. She walks through.the company corridors, looking past the small tinted glass on each door she passes by. There is not a single day where Heejin has ever seen an employee slacking off, each and every one who works under Viian Wong is operating their jobs eagerly.

Since she arrived earlier than she expected, she decided to visit the company’s cafeteria to grab some breakfast and her daily iced americano before meeting Haseul. Heejin always has to start her day with a cup of coffee or else she’ll end up falling asleep anywhere she sits or acting annoyingly cranky, and what’s so nice about the food here is that the CEO made sure her employees eat and stay healthy by providing them quality organic food. Many are afraid of the woman but she surely knows how to take care of her staff. 

She briefly contemplates on what to take as her eyes scan the trays of food lined up on the long table. A voice calls her from the opposite side of the room, interrupting her slight dilemma as she finally decides to stuff a bowl of fresh assorted greens, a chicken sandwich and iced coffee on her tray before turning towards the source of the voice.

To her surprise, it’s Sooyoung who seems like she just woke up by the looks of her slightly tousled hair. She didn’t expect her labelmate to be here at this time of day since Sooyoung is no morning person. Heejin marches her way towards her best friend, managing to balance all the food on her tray. “Well you’re up early? ” She says, quite impressed.

“We ran out of food because of Hyejoo burning the whole pantry so we decided to get breakfast here” Sooyoung speaks tiredly while she points her eyes to her little sister who is sitting next to the windows.

Heejin looks across the cafeteria to where Sooyoung is pointing and spots the raven-haired girl eating with a fellow blonde trainee, Chaewon. As she observes from afar, she notices something different about Hyejoo. She never really saw the trainee act softly towards anyone, even to her older sibling. It is the first time she saw Hyejoo curl her lips into a smile and it seems like they both live in their own world too. “Hyejoo seems.. happy today?”

They both stare at the two trainees who have started fighting playfully when Chaewon stole the last waffle from Hyejoo’s plate. 

“ _ Disgusting _ right? Like can’t those two loverbirds get a room.” 

Both of the celebrities flinch from when they hear a loud voice speak. “Lovebirds?” They both say out of shock as they simultaneously rotate their bodies back, revealing a short girl with long blonde hair and bangs standing behind them, holding a bunch of food from the snackbar area. 

“I never signed up to become a third wheel you know..” Haseul’s little sister continues with her complaining as she takes a chair out and places her snacks on the table.

“Wait— What are you doing here?” Heejin asks out of confusion. Generally, it’s a rule that no one’s allowed to enter the building except the lobby unless they are an idol, an employee or a part of a business meeting. So seeing her reach the 3rd floor where the cafeteria is located without being thrown out by security is pretty surprising but somewhat impressive.

“ _ Duh _ I came here to eat what else would you do in a cafeteria?” the blonde claps back

“She means how did you even get here in the first place. You’re not even allowed to be here..” Sooyoung speaks for Heejin after thinking of the same thing

“Oh— Hyejoo and Chae said there are tons of free food here and I wouldn’t believe them so they snuck me in.” Yeojin pokes a hole on her strawberry milk drink with the sharp part of her plastic straw as she responds like it’s normal for her to be there. “..Though, they won’t stop flirting, so here I am.” 

“I swear, Hyejoo is literally asking for her contract to get terminated at this point” the sister sighs with a palm on her forehead. 

“I mean in this industry, as long as you don’t get caught you’re fine. Like that time when Sooyoung-unnie dated Sunmi—“

“Shut it.” Sooyoung places her hand on Yeojin’s mouth as quick as she can, praying that Heejin didn’t hear her secret but she knows it’s too late, she knows her friend heard it loud and clear. “Don’t go acting innocent Heej, you probably broke some rules at one point.”

The brunette reflected for a few seconds, thinking if she had ever broken any rules. The only thing she dug up from her memory was the time she had a big crush on this trainee named Ryujin but nothing really happened. She’s quite cautious when it comes to her career. She had to make sure that she was going to debut after a long time of being a trainee. Although she’s allowed to date now, the problems idols have to face are dating scandals from the media and she obviously doesn’t want that. The silence breaks as the clicks and clacks from a pair of heels catch the attention of all three girls.

A woman with ginger hair wearing a cashmere turtleneck topped with a blazer enters the scene beside Haseul walking alongside with her who seems successful in making the other laugh. 

The two celebrities knew who that was the moment they heard the sound of her heels, it is none other than Viian Wong, the most successful CEO in the whole idol industry, not to mention, she literally looks like a supermodel who makes the whole world her runway and makes you look like a peasant if you’re next to her. She isn’t the type to do small talk since she’s always busy managing the status of being one of the top companies in Korea.

When the ginger notices and locks her eyes on the idols, they stand up to greet her on a good morning. Yeojin however, just goes with the flow and bows her head out of reflex. Haseul looks in the same direction and her lively eyes immediately turns into a death glare in less than a millisecond when she spots her little sister. “Yeojin?!” the bobbed woman shouts out of bewilderment. She storms to the short blonde making the younger hide behind Sooyoung and Heejin

The CEO intervenes with the siblings with a soft voice. “You know her Haseul?”

“U-Uh Vivi let me explain.“ the manager stutters as she looks into the woman’s eyes.

_ Vivi? _ Yeojin finds that name awfully familiar to her like she has heard it multiple times before, then it hits her. She slides past in between the taller girls and offers a hand to the ginger. “Hello, I’m Yeojin, Haseul’s little sister.”

The woman, now known as Vivi according to the manager, reaches out and gives her a firm handshake. “I never knew you had a sister Haseul. Hello I’m Viian Wong, the CEO of ViVi Entertainment. Nice to meet you Yeojin.”

The manager looks like she’s about to faint. She doesn’t know whether she’s going to get fired or she’s gonna kill Yeojin the moment Vivi is gone.

“I came by to find my sister but then I got distracted with all the snacks displayed over there” Yeojin slides in an excuse while Sooyoung and Heejin try to keep a straight face because Vivi surely isn’t dumb and knows that the girl is lying. Haseul is on the brink of bursting as she gives Yeojin a glare saying  _ you’re dead  _ but the CEO replies, catching their attention.

“It’s fine. You can come by anytime and go get as many snacks as you want.” she says while giving a warm smile. Everyone’s taken aback, trying to make sure what they just heard is correct. _ Viian Wong bending her own rules? _ This is truly a first. “Well ladies, I’m quite busy today.. so I’ll take my leave now. Please enjoy your breakfast.” the woman announces, glancing at her golden rolex wristwatch. They all bow farewell as the CEO saunters towards the door, as four of them remain.

“Yeojin I’m gonna—“ the manager’s words are cut by the loud voice that overlapped hers.

“You never told me your crush was a  _ hot  _ CEO?!” Yeojin exclaims, leaving Haseul’s blood rushing towards her now red cheeks. “Damn ma, for once you have taste.”

“No way unnie?!” Sooyoung drops her mouth agape and teases the manager with this new found information which she can now use to her advantage whenever she wants to.

Haseul can’t help but blush even more, embarrassed from her secret being exposed by her loud mouth of a sister. She changes the topic by reminding everyone why they’re gathered in the first place. She returns back into her normal self after a few minutes and starts to discuss the schedules Heejin has in the following weeks. Yeojin attempts to sneak away from her older sister while she is busy talking but Haseul grabs her before she gets to escape.

Once the briefing is over, the Jo siblings step aside to talk. Heejin mouths the words good luck to the younger because she clearly needs it, since she doesn’t know whether Yeojin will still be alive when Haseul returns. The brunette spaces out and focuses the thoughts crowding her mind while Sooyoung munches down her breakfast. __

_ I wonder what it feels like to break the rules _ ..

***

A long and exhausting day of work has finally ended and Heejin decides to head straight back to her apartment. She lays down on the loveseat after dropping the paper bags she was carrying from the counter containing things she has received from her fanmeet a day ago. She grasps the lighter bag first and takes a handful of letters from her beloved fans and starts to go through each one.

Halfway through the pile, tears eventually streams from her brown puppy eyes down to her chin. Despite her fragile and sensitive appearance people perceive her to be, she’s not really an emotional nor expressive person to begin with, so getting to read through those messages 

softened her heart enough to shed some tears. 

She reaches for the last unopened letter which seems to be wax sealed inside a pink envelope.  _ Fancy,  _ the first word that pops in her head the moment she takes a look on both sides by flipping it. In the front of the cover, the words  _ My Heekki _ is printed in the middle remembering that it’s from the sweet redheaded fansite she met earlier. She carefully opens it since she doesn’t want to rip the paper envelope and pulls out a handwritten letter with a certificate behind it. Heejin is already impressed on how appealing the whole letter is presented plus she notices how clean and neat her fan’s handwriting is.

“To our Heekki!

Congratulations for having a successful debut! I can’t even describe how much I absolutely loved the music video for ViViD. Since I know I wouldn’t have much time with you during the fanmeet, I decided to write the things I might’ve not gotten to say HAHAHA. I want to personally thank you for making my days and the days ahead happier <3\. And because of that, I named a moon after you and there should be a certificate along with this letter once you receive it. I honestly can’t wait for your future schedules and plans! I wish that someday I could get closer to you as the time goes by and we can be friends. I’ll always be here to protect you and I’ll make sure to support you no matter what. Whether it may be extremely hot or pouring outside, I promise to continue to take pretty photos for you! Always stay healthy Heejin! 

Love, Hyunjin (a.k.a My Heekki)”

Even though she has read multiple letters containing similar messages, it still gets Heejin’s eyes to water up especially this one. She was shocked when she read through the certificate. She didn’t expect it to be true but when she searched it up on Google, it actually showed up. Hyunjin’s letter was a bit more gentle and sincere compared to how her male fans wrote to her. Her emotions were over the place until the sound of her stomach grumbled. She lost track of time and completely failed to recall that she hasn’t had dinner yet. She stands up from her comfortable position and drags her legs to her fridge.

“You must be  _ kidding _ me..” she says to herself, feeling miserable after finding out that she has run out of leftovers including the instant noodles from her cupboards. It leaves her no choice but to go out to buy food.

Being an idol isn’t easy, especially when she has to go out without worrying about people mobbing her and asking for pictures. She goes into her walking closet and grabs the plain brown hoodie sitting on top of her other clothes. She slides open one of the drawers and rummages through her belongings until she finds the black cotton facemask. Before she forgets, she gets a matching black cap on the way to the exit. She puts all of the items on, making her look unrecognizable, or some may say  _ invisible _ . Her mind reminds her how hungry she is, so she needs to look for something quick. 

She decides to head to the nearest fast food chain since it’s been awhile since she ate some. Though the company prohibits her from eating too much unhealthy food, her promotions are done for the most part so the restrictions are kind of loose as of now, plus her fast metabolism never failed her anyway.

It’s about a 15 minute walk until she arrives at Subway. Her head is bent down a little so her face isn’t seen. She walks in and sees a display of chips on the counter area, thinking maybe she should grab some snacks since she’s here. It’d be a good time to watch some anime she’s been wanting to binge anyways. 

There is quite a long line but it is reasonable since she’s come in around dinner time, so she doesn’t mind waiting for a few minutes. While she stands on her spot, a customer enters the restaurant and lines up behind Heejin. She hears a girl’s voice at the back of her head as she scans through the chips section.

“Yerim.. I’m at Subway, what do you want?” the woman says.

The brunette didn’t mean to eavesdrop but somehow she feels like she has heard that voice from somewhere before. When she is about to check, the man handling the cashier calls over to the next customer. She takes a few steps and looks up to read the menu. She isn’t that familiar with their food choices since the only time she got to taste their sandwiches was when Haseul got her a snack to eat in one of her schedules.

It hasn’t been 7 seconds and the man who looks around his late 30s behind the counter starts to speak up in an irritated tone with his eyes piercing through hers. “We don’t have the entire day, miss. You should’ve decided what you wanted before lining up. You’re wasting my time.”

Heejin suddenly feels anxious at the rude man’s comment. Her eyes widen and her hands start to get clammy as she panics. She tries to verbalize whatever options her eyes land on. The employee leans forward to hear her order but he ends up looking like he’s about to scream at the girl. 

“Can you  _ please _ speak up ma'am? Literally no one can hear you with that voice of yours.” 

She begins to regret coming here when she could’ve just gotten jajangmyeon noodles from the convenience store near her apartment building. She has never felt so small and humiliated in public. She just wishes that she could disappear into thin air without a trace. She stutters as she attempts to repeat her order until she is cut short when a woman with red hair, tied to a low ponytail, intervenes by slamming one hand on the counter next to the celebrity.

“Hey buddy, can you stop being a rude fuck? Gosh, she literally ordered the steak and cheese sandwich with a medium sized lemonade for takeout.. even  _ I _ heard her from my spot.” the girl aggressively announces with a cold tone accompanied with a stare sharp enough to kill.

Everyone is looking at the woman who caused a scene including Heejin. The familiar voice she heard earlier belongs to the sweet fansite she met during her recent fanmeet but this time with a completely different aura. This time she is wearing an oversized long sleeve shirt with red stripes tucked in her cuffed boyfriend jeans and a pair of black converse. This is definitely not the shy girl she met yesterday. She’s now facing Heejin who is staring at her, stunned. It registers in the brunette’s mind that the girl is staring back. _SHIT_ the idol panics internally, hoping that her disguise hasn’t been revealed. 

“Well.. do you want anything else?” The fansite asks her.

She grabs a few bags of chips from the shelf immediately, hoping not to upset another person. The old man bites his tongue and stays silent, holding back his exasperation as he scans the products. “That would be $11.50” he says.

Heejin hurriedly takes her wallet from the pocket of her oversized hoodie. She hands him a few bills and waits for her change. She walks toward the other end of the counter to wait for her food, keeping her head low. A minute or two have passed and a couple of footsteps are approaching her, catching her attention and making her peek from the side of her cap. 

“Thank you for saving me out there..” she shyly speaks to the other

“I only saved you because you were taking  _ too  _ long and I had more important things to attend to..” the heroine responds and pauses for a second “..but he was  _ definitely _ a pain in the ass.” she scoffs. 

Heejin is left in awestruck. She honestly doesn’t know how to react to that statement, whether she should feel insulted or not. Before she gets to speak more, the woman reaches out to take 2 plastic bags from another staff member working in that shift. 

“Hey...your stuff is there. It might get cold.” the redhead mentions and takes her leave just like that.

The idol grabs her food that has been waiting for a short while in the claim area. She instantly leaves the restaurant and plans to head back to her apartment as soon as possible. Just taking approximately 5 steps away from the doors, she notices something on the ground. She can’t really see what it is since it is kind of dark but she picks it up anyways. It’s a phone and it seems to be the one the fansite was holding earlier. Luckily, it wasn’t damaged or scratched when it fell down. She scuttles around the parking lot hoping to find her but there’s no use, she has probably left.

She keeps the phone safe in her pocket and intends to return it when they meet again. She thinks it may be a way for her to repay the kindness the redhead showed. While she’s walking on the sidewalk, she is still processing everything that just occurred. Even though it only lasted for about 20 minutes, it was pretty eventful.

She’s rubbing her thumb on the phone as she is in deep thought about the woman. A part of her refuses to believe that the same girl wearing a fuzzy yellow sweater who gave her a stuffed animal and named her after a moon somewhere in the universe is the same girl that rescued her from harassment. However, she is sure of it. She’s the type of person who remembers faces very well from the first meeting. As her thoughts crowd her mind once again, she slows down her pace as she recalls something on the back of her head.

_ Hyunjin. _

That’s the name she was looking for.


	2. Phone Calls & Fun Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys I'm back with another chapter!! I hope the wait wasn't too long since I still have class :< but I'll try my best to update as much as I can! <3 Enjoy!
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

Hyunjin plods over to her apartment door as she carries several plastic bags on both of her hands. She places them down gently and types in the passcode to let herself in then pushes the door with the force of her shoulder.. 

“ _ Finally _ you’re back! I’m  _ starving.  _ What took you so long?” Yerim asks the girl who just came in as she presses the pause button to whatever show she was watching from the tv. She was probably bored while waiting for more than an hour for her dinner.

“Something came up in Subway, but anyways I passed by the convenience store to get us a large bag of doritos and potato chips for tonight.” Hyunjin informs her bestfriend and tosses her packed sandwich in the air. 

Yerim isn’t prepared; however she manages to catch it,  _ barely.  _ She sighs with relief and continues to contribute to the conversation. “What came up? Did they run out of bread or something?”

“Yerim... that’s  _ so _ stupid. Why would they sell subs if they don’t have bread? That’s literally their whole brand.” The redhead judges her by the dumb question making her furrow her eyebrows.

“That’s the point Hyun...” she says then takes a bite from her not-so-warm sandwich

Hyunjin doesn’t understand what goes on in Yerim’s brain sometimes, but she gets back to the topic anyways. “Well, a nasty old man was  _ so fucking  _ rude to this one lady and it didn’t look like it was gonna stop so I stepped in and shut him down so we can get our food faster.”

“ _ Deserved _ .” the purple-haired girl laughs at the thought of it but it’s not like she’s surprised by it. Though it might appear that Hyunjin doesn’t give a single care in the world, she has always been the type of person who wouldn’t turn a blind eye when someone is in need of help whether or not they’re a stranger.

Hyunjin takes her food and the bag of doritos before joining Yerim, who is scanning through the homepage of Netflix on the long sectional sofa. Her guest is taking so long with deciding which movie they will watch that night that Hyunjin has already munched her sandwich all the way down to her belly, though she doesn’t really mind and starts to talk again. “Anyways, are you staying over the whole night?”

” _ Duh! _ There’s no way I’m sleeping at home to hear my sister and Jungeun-unnie going at it.” the girl says straightforwardly with her eyes staring directly at Hyunjin’s.

Her best friend doesn’t need to explain further. Hyunjin clearly understands what she means. Like who would want to go through all that in front of their face, worse, hear it through the walls at night. “But don’t you have work tomorrow morning?

Tomorrow, the girl has to be at work by 8 in the morning but of course she has to get up earlier to make it on time. Although the owners of the cafe are literally like family to her since Jinsoul has been with them ever since their highschool days, it isn’t an excuse for her to be late to work. They’re the ones providing her salary after all and she doesn’t want to take advantage of that closeness with them.

“ _ Oh shit,  _ you’re right... Can you text unnie for me? I can’t reach my phone.” she says while dramatically trying to reach over her phone on the wooden coffee table. She already seems too comfortable with her position on the couch as she’s tucked under a velvet blanket. 

Hyunjin rolls her eyes at how lazy her friend is but accepts her request anyways. She slides her hand in her back pocket expecting her phone to be where it usually is. She continues to grasp all her pockets from her jeans but somehow they’re all empty. She gazes on the table and moves away the food and wrappers that might be blocking the device but it’s still missing. 

Yerim is focusing on the television screen until she sees Hyunjin stand up on her feet to run towards the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” she asks after the redhead started to act strangely. The other girl is silent and it takes a few more seconds for her to answer.

“My phone’s missing...” she says in a serious tone while checking all the places she could’ve left it. She  _ can’t _ afford to lose that phone. Apparently, she just bought it less than a week ago when it was finally out for the public. She feels even worse because she purchased it along with the new edition of Airpods. But when things don’t seem to get any worse than that, she remembers something valuable is hidden in her phone case — the signed Heejin photocard from the album she received a day ago.

“I can’t believe you just got your new phone robbed.” The girl makes fun of the poor girl’s situation. “I know you’re like  _ hella rich  _ and you can probably buy another one but...that  _ sucks _ .” 

“You’re not helping at all Yerim. Could you ring it for me?” she responds aggravated.

She groans in frustration as she sees her friend do what she’s told and move out from her comfortable spot to grab her phone. All she can think of is that photocard and nothing else. She actually wouldn’t mind if she lost it or if she got robbed since there isn’t anything important in there and all her contacts are backed up in her laptop. 

Though, it does kind of suck that she has to drive to the other side of town just to get another one. She’s aware that she has all this cash in her small black credit card but just because her family owns three of the biggest hospitals in Seoul, it doesn’t mean she likes to waste the money given to her. Especially that she thinks it could be of use when it comes to Heejin’s future schedules or when she needs to spoil her presents.

Yerim presses on the loudspeaker option so they can both hear the ringback tone. The wait does not take too long when she sees someone answer. Hyunjin rushes towards the phone just to hear a low but feminine voice.

***

Heejin is seated on the chair of her dining table. She’s silently eating her sandwich, taking a bite every minute while staring at the phone placed in front of her. She honestly doesn’t know how she’s going to give it back to Hyunjin but she’ll definitely return it without a doubt. After the fansite saved her, she obviously knows that she owes her back. Parallel from her is the stuffed bunny from the redhead, sitting on the chair.

“What now Heekki?” she asks the bunny which is now named in honor of her fansite, as if it were to reply and gives a deep sigh. As her gaze switches to the object opposite to her, she feels multiple vibrations coming from the table. She looks down to see someone calling with the caller ID as  _ Cockroach _ . Her eyebrows knot into a confused frown at the sight of the name and as time quickly ticks, she panics about answering it, which she does anyway as her gut tells her to do so. She presses the green button to accept and takes a deep breath in. 

“Hello?” she whispers, in a voice lower than usual to keep her identity hidden hopefully.

Silence, that’s all there is for a while. However, she is definitely sure that someone is on the other side of the line when she starts to hear breathing.

“Hello? This is the owner of the phone _you_ just robbed. It’ll be nice if you return it.” she says aggressively but keeping her composure. 

Heejin instantly knows she’s talking to none other than Hyunjin. Though, she feels like she was just insulted and she still hasn’t gotten used to this side of her fansite but she understands that it’s because of the whole situation they’re in. “Well this is the girl  _ you _ saved in Subway and I didn’t steal it, I was trying to find you since you dropped it on the ground outside of the restaurant but I was probably too late..” She replies to her afterwards.

Another pause occurs until Hyunjin asks with a slight attitude “Well, when can I get it back then?” 

The idol is about to speak but she bites her tongue before she gets to. She has almost forgotten that she’s not just an ordinary person anymore. She can’t just go meeting around people without a bodyguard or permission from Haseul most of the time. Even if promotions were done a few weeks ago, her schedule is packed and work continues to pile up. Sometimes her rest days are either spent staying at home all day tucked in her bed to binge some anime or trying to make new music for her to release in the future. She would give her a possible date if she could but she chooses to answer her question honestly and sincerely. “I-I don’t know... I’m kind of a busy person but I promise to give it back as soon as possible.”

“That sounds like a dumb excuse to steal my phone.” she jibes, not trusting Heejin’s words but continues to speak. “ _ Ughh  _ fine, but _ please _ take care of it for me will you? Just contact me with this number **** *** **** when something comes up.”

After adding the number on her phone’s contacts, the call ends just like that. She wasn’t even able to say bye properly or to thank her once again for earlier but she thinks it was better to keep the conversation short and as straightforward as it is.

She sits there for a couple more minutes to finish what’s left of her sandwich. She’s staring at the digits of her new contact and remembers that if she does text her, Hyunjin would end up getting her phone number. She isn’t really allowed to give it away to people especially strangers but she’s pretty certain that the redhead doesn’t know it’s hers, after all who would insult or be rude to an idol you adore. Plus, she believes that she owes Hyunjin twice as much than just returning her lost phone but it’s the least she can do for now.

_ Hmm? _

Her doorbell rings at the same time she is about to stand up. She scurries over to the door and looks through the peephole.  _ Huh? Sooyoungiee?  _ She unlocks the door to see the tall woman wearing silky pink loungewear, smiling at her.

“Heej!” She shouts somewhat excited to see her even though they met a few hours ago. She steps in and enters the quite luxurious flat without the permission of the owner though the girl allows her to.

Heejin is confused as to why her friend is here at this time of night. Normally, she would receive a text from her to come over to her apartment because she's too lazy to move but that isn’t the case tonight. She closes the door and looks behind her to see her neighbor already flopped down on the sofa which is next to her loveseat. 

“You’re coming tomorrow right?” Sooyoung asks while lying down on her side with her arm supporting her head. 

Heejin tilts her head, clueless to what Sooyoung is trying to say. “Huh? What’s tomorrow?” she throws back another question as she gets a slice of cake for Sooyoung from the fridge, remembering the offer she gave yesterday. She hands it to the girl and then sits on her usual position on her other couch with her legs bent near her chest.

“ _ Oh! _ I forgot it’s your first time!” the woman sits up straight swiftly “Every year, CEO Wong always hosts a party for the company’s anniversary. It’s on its 10th anniversary this year and since you’re not a trainee anymore, you’re allowed to go!” she explains.

_ “Ahhh...  _ sure! _ ”  _ she says while nodding. This was the party she would always hear about during her trainee days. Haseul and Sooyoung would talk about it and how fun it was but she couldn’t really relate to it even though they would tell her in detail. She recalls them mentioning how delicious the buffet was and how drinks were served on an open bar in the afterparty. Their boss surely knows how to relieve the stress of her staff for the whole year. 

“Yay! Let’s go together! It’ll be fun I promise!” Sooyoung exclaims with cake still on her mouth. 

Heejin looks at her friend who is devouring the dessert in a single go. However, what’s going on in her head is not the jealousy over the cake but a debate whether it’s a good time to tell her best friend about what went down earlier that night or not. Her hesitation towards the thought makes her space out for a while, and her guest is looking back and forth to where Heejin’s eyes are staring at.

“Uhmm... do you want some too?” the woman says in a soft voice obviously wishing that Heejin refuses so she can have it all.

Heejin snaps out of her trance and shakes her head along with a hand gesture. “Nooo! I’m fine.”

The moment she hears the younger one decline her offer, she eats it in less than a heartbeat. “ _ WAHH! _ Thank you for the cake Heej but I gotta head back now. It’s been a long day and I’m sleepy.” She expresses her gratitude to her best friend as she bounces back up from the seat followed up with a stretch and long yawn. 

“Nah it’s okay.. You should just be grateful that you’re my best friend and you probably have your own share in the kitchen at this point.” she jokes while they head to the door.

Sooyoung does a hairflip to show how flattered she is but she then takes notice of the phone on the dining table.  _ I never knew she bought a new phone?  _ She is in the middle of her train of thoughts but it gets stopped by a sudden playful slap on her arm by the brunette. She rubs her arm with her thumb and pouts at the other girl as she moves away. 

They both exchange their cheesy goodnight messages before Heejin locks the door once again. She heads over to her walking closet first to get her something to change onto. She buns her hair as she steps in her bathroom to wash up and changes into her large navy blue long sleeve pajama top.

After she’s finished she sees the stuffed animal across her, still leaning on the chair. She takes it and wraps it in her arms, softly caressing its fur. She also takes Hyunjin’s phone and some bags of chips she bought earlier then marches her way towards her cozy bedroom. She places the phone on one of her nightstands to keep it safe. 

She slumps her body on the bed, sinking in the memory foam slowly and feeling the warmth of her fluffy duvet.  _ I guess you’re staying with me tonight Heekki  _ she says with a smile on her face and the hero on her mind. She reaches over to the other nightstand to get a hold of the remote for her flat screen tv. She opens a bag of cheetos as she finally chooses to binge a whole season of an anime all over again.

  
  


***

What a peaceful morning it is. It is almost silent, but the comforting noise of the air conditioner occupies the living room. The sun is shining through the windows and the thin gray curtains onto Hyunjin and Yerim who are asleep on the big sectional couch, still under their individual comforters. They were pretty knocked out after watching 3 movies of Harry Potter until 4  _ a.m _ . and it’s been awhile since they’ve pulled an allnighter.

The harmony of the apartment doesn’t last long when it is suddenly disturbed by loud banging coming from outside the door. Both of the girls are startled, making them raise their heads from underneath the cover. They look at each other’s bagged eyes as they silently debate who would stand up to open it but Hyunjin groans as she curls back in the blanket with Yerim having no choice but to do it. 

Yerim stands up all groggy, dragging her legs across the room with all her strength left. When she opens the door, a tall blonde woman wearing a dark blue cardigan and a plain white shirt greets her. As Yerim is about to return the greeting, another woman who is standing behind the taller one appears. This time, she is wearing a red off shoulder paired with black jeans. 

“Unnie?” Yerim whispers while rubbing her eyes.

Hyunjin hears her best friend and looks at the brand new guests who have come in. She slowly gets up on a sitting position and fixes her hair unconsciously as she listens to the conversation.

“You didn’t come home last night but we figured that you’d be here.” The blonde says as she cups both of her hands on her little sister’s cheeks.

“Jinsoul was driving me to work today and we thought about passing by in case you wanted a ride.” the short woman mentions as she interlocks her arm around Jinsoul. “Jungeun tried to call you before getting here but you weren’t answering.” 

“S-Sorry... I was dead asleep” the girl replied as she was grabbing some clothes to change into from her bag.

“We also tried calling Hyun but when she picked up, I knew that was  _ clearly _ not her voice.” Jinsoul adds as she walks toward the girl on the couch. “I was thinking you had a girlfriend over too so I ended it. Don’t want to interrupt anything after all.” she teases the redhead.

“ _ Woah _ ! I guess she’s not a single woman anymore.Yerim baby, it’s time to step up your game.” Jungeun joins in the tease.

“I’m a  _ strong independent woman, excuse you, unnie _ ...” she says squinting her eyes but widens again as she continues “And yeah! Like Hyun even left some evidence in her car—“ Yerim was cut off by Hyunjin’s voice

“ _ Stop! _ First of all, I’m  _ not _ dating anyone. Second, I dropped my phone yesterday but the person who picked it up is gonna return it soon.” Hyunjin tries to clear everything up to everyone. 

Though what the redhead said was true, it would’ve been big news to the other three if she was indeed dating. It’s been quite awhile since she got her heart broken. After the last relationship, the two sisters including Jungeun and Chuu, made sure to take care of her.

“For now, just use my old number. I guess I’ll be using my other phone for a week or so.” the redhead continues.

“Alright.” Jinsoul gives a smile to show that she understands. “Anyways, Yerim hurry up. Chuu texted me earlier and she said that she’s on the way.” The blonde demands her sister.

The purple-haired girl runs to the bathroom and slams the door accidentally. She shouts sorry from the inside. Jinsoul and Jungeun sit on the couch beside Hyunjin as they wait, rubbing their thumbs on the back of each other’s hand. 

Moments of silence are broken when the younger girl asks a question out of curiosity. “Jungeun-unnie, speaking of Chuu-unnie, do you know what it feels like to ride with her.”

Jungeun faces her with a serious expression. It takes a quick pause until she gives her a short reply. “ _ I wish I never knew.. _ ” 

Although she only said a brief sentence. five words are enough for Hyunjin to know how she feels. She even feels bad for the girl that she had to experience Chuu’s horrible driving skills. She’s probably traumatized as much as she is as well. At least she’s aware that Jungeun is in good hands whenever she’s with Jinsoul. The blonde makes sure that everyone’s buckled up and drives safely, following the road laws. 

Around a few minutes passes by with Hyunjin as a third wheel, but she doesn’t really mind because she considers them as her second parents. She finally stands up to get herself some breakfast. Although she’s quite the chef, she’s just too lazy to cook up something so she gets a slice of bread and some Nutella spread from the cupboard.

“So Hyun, are you gonna try out for the women’s national team this year?” Jinsoul begins another topic.with the redhead from the living room to the kitchen.

Hyunjin licks the Nutella on her thumb and nods her head yes. It has always been a dream of hers to try out and represent her country. She’s an exceptional player and she’s been scouted by one of the best teams out there so she does stand a chance to get in. “I’ll probably attend training later to get some practice.” she responds. 

“That’s great! I know you’re the best out there!” Jinsoul says enthusiastically.

“You probably only watched my games like  _ thrice _ , and in  _ all _ those times, you were either rooting for the wrong team or you were having trouble with finding which one I was.” Hyunjin exposes the blonde without hesitation and the girlfriend laughs on how accurate that was.

The mood is interrupted when Yerim eventually comes out from the bathroom, all neat and clean. Her bright aura and energy just naturally radiates out of her body as always, leaving no traces of fatigue and messy hair anymore. 

The couple sees the girl as their cue to leave. Jinsoul stands first and helps Jungeun up, still holding each other’s hand.

“Well, we’ll be going now.” Jinsoul heads to the door with her girlfriend and her little sister. “Good luck on your training later Hyun!” she yells out happily. Hyunjin gives her a thumbs up in return and waves goodbye to the other two as they leave.

***

Heejin is standing on the hallway of the 19th floor looking pretty and slightly cool wearing a white button up with black stripes. She may look girly on the stage but not when it comes to her casual wear outside of her idol life. She’s holding the box of the remaining cake from last night, thinking that it would be nice to give it to Hyejoo since she’ll be all alone most of the night. She rings the doorbell and Sooyoung reveals herself but she doesn’t seem happy to see the brunette.

“Hey.” Sooyoung says in a monotonous and low voice, almost as if she was tired or stressed out. “Let me change real quick.”

“Are you okay?“ Heejin asks, slightly concerned with the serious look on the other’s face. It looks like she could murder someone with her eyes right now. But before the taller girl has the opportunity to answer, she is cut by a loud voice.

“ **_Heejin-unnie_ ** !” 

She moves her gaze away and bends her body to the side to peek over behind her best friend. It’s Yeojin giving her a big wave from the bean bag on the floor. Next to her sits Hyejoo and Chaewon who appear to be focused on playing Mario Kart displayed on the flatscreen. Behind the teenagers was Haseul who seemed to enjoy watching them trash talk who’s going to win the match.  _ I guess Hyejoo won’t be alone after all.  _

“Heej! Come here quick!” Haseul invites her over.but she looks back at the tv.

Heejin takes a few steps inside and lays the box on a nearby table, then makes her way to the group to observe the intense battle between the two. She places her bet on The raven-haired girl without a doubt. Whenever she was able to play with Hyejoo, or atleast watch Sooyoung go against her, Hyejoo would _ always _ win. It’s not that they would go easy on the younger one so she could win, but she’s absolutely an expert when it comes to it.

“ **_Go Hyejoo! Beat her ass!_ ** ” Yeojin is shouting on top of her lungs as she watches them reach the final lap. 

Chaewon is unfazed by Yeojin’s loudmouth. It may not seem like it but Chaewon is one of the most competitive people out there, probably at the same level as Hyejoo. Her competitiveness makes her even more serious than she already is and she keeps her lazer focus on the road. She isn’t someone to back down, not even from Hyejoo. 

The air feels so different in the area she’s in right now. She’s actually interested in who will take the crown. She glances at Sooyoung’s sister and notices something odd. She’s pretty sure that she’s seeing the girl smile, not just that but she’s also not using those power ups on her last round.

As Hyejoo approaches the finish line to secure her victory, Chaewon stuns her with a thunderbolt. Everyone’s eyes widen when they both cross the line almost at the same time. Silence fills the room while they anticipate who got first place.

They wait for the leaderboard to appear on the screen. Haseul and Heejin drop their jaws. Yeojin places her hands on her head in disbelief.

_ 1st Chaewon, 2nd Hyejoo _

“Assa!” The blonde teen jumps high to rejoice in her victory. She does a little dance in front of her opponent. “ _ Ha! Take that! _ ” she shouts, trying to rub it on the other’s face.

“ _ So what _ ?” Hyejoo says calmly that it makes her seem a little cooler. “It doesn’t matter much to me.” She continues.

Heejin is surprised by this new and unfamiliar side of Sooyoung’s sibling.  _ I guess liking someone does change a person _ she thinks to herself. From Hyejoo’s cold exterior, it’s a bit more obvious to see that the girl softens up when it comes to Chaewon. She finds it so refreshing and cute but at the same time she’s worried about their innocent hearts getting broken at some point since they’re still trainees under ViVi Entertainment. They’re literally in front of Haseul but knowing her, she’s very clueless when it comes to these things, though she still finds it funny when she remembers that the manager has a small crush on the CEO.

Sooyoung comes back to the scene but this time with a dark green fitted v-neck with long sleeves. She still looks like she’s in a bad mood but Heejin will definitely ask her what’s wrong or how her day was later.

“Okay guys, here’s some money for delivery. I don’t want you guys trying to burn down Sooyoung’s apartment..  _ again _ . Also, Yeojin don’t mess with the neighbors,  _ please.”  _ Haseul gives some instructions to the girls and hands some dollar bills to her sibling.

After listing a bunch of rules down for them, Sooyoung grabs her luxurious bag and puts it onto her shoulder. “Well, time to get outta here...” she says and the three women head out following behind her.

While they walk to Haseul’s car in the parking lot, Heejin can’t help but think how excited she is for the party. Tonight, she doesn’t have to be left alone in her apartment binging anime nor does she have to be jealous over the fun they're having in the photos and videos they send. Tonight, she can finally join them, and  _ that _ thought makes her happy.

***

_ Five, four, three, two, one! _

Sooyoung counts down as Heejin opens her mouth wide to chug down a bottle of vodka down her throat with the assistance of Haseul. They consider it as kind of a ritual to welcome the brunette for finally joining the two. 

Earlier that night, they were just pregaming with some quality champagne, securing about 4 full plates of food from the longest buffet table Heejin has ever seen, and going back and forth from their table and the enormous dessert section. 

She was right that it would be a huge celebration considering how many employees there are, but she honestly never expected that Vivi was  _ that _ cash-rich and successful to be able to rent a whole function hall, hire a good amount of waiters and waitresses, and prepare a variety of food to cater everyone. It didn't stop there, she also rented one of the most popular bars in Korea for the afterparty and she paid bartenders to serve unlimited alcoholic drinks. Heejin is so wrong for thinking that her night began hours ago. This is definitely just the start.

Heejin was hesitant at first because she never really got drunk before. Sure she had some drinks here and there but she knows this night will be completely different especially with her crackhead of a best friend. She feels slightly better knowing that she’s also with a ‘mom’ on her side. 

Haseul withdraws the bottle of tequila and Heejin bends her head back to it’s normal position, making a sour look on her while wiping her lips with her hand. 

Though they have their own space in the bar, she looks around her surroundings, feeling a bit embarrassed with what her friends did to her but it seems like everyone’s minding their own business and having their own fun.

Shot after shot, their bodies loosen up to the beat of the music while their world starts to spin more and more. 

“I’ll go get us a snack” Haseul points behind her and tries to overlap her loud voice from the music blasting from the speakers next to them. 

The two idols just nod in agreement and then she is off to the other side of the bar where there’s a waiter on standby. 

They’re now alone on the round couch, sipping on their long island iced tea from the tower they ordered earlier. 

“By the way Soo… what was up with you this morning? You looked like you were about to beat the shit outta me when you answered the door.” Heejin mentions the strange behavior of the other.

“Oh,  _ that _ ... “ Sooyoung sighs and rolls her eyes, clenching her fist. “So I was crossing the street so I could get myself a fruit shake. Then there was this  _ crazy  _ woman who did not just almost kill me with her car but she also started honking and cussing out of her window. Like  _ bitch, _ it’s a fucking stoplight?!” She continues angrily in her rant about her morning with sloppy gestures as she narrates it.

“ _ Oh god.  _ But...” Heejin pauses and bends her body towards Sooyoung, obviously tipsy from all the alcohol. She pokes a finger harshly on the girl’s chest and gives a grin. “Are you sure  _ you _ weren’t the stupid one?” 

_ “Bitch.”  _ Sooyoung pushes the brunette's face away from her a little too hard that the younger is close to falling down. They both share an unrestrained laugh, play-fighting by slapping each other on the arm.

They rest their heads on the couch as the alcohol begins to reach the point that they’re buzzed. 

“Jeez. What’s taking Haseul so long?” Heejin complains as she lifts her head and looks for her in the crowd of employees.  _ Who’s that?  _ She squints her eyes to focus from all the blurriness. Once she figures it out she taps Sooyoung in a rapid motion.

“What?” She grumbles and follows the direction of Heejin’s eyes.

Both girls notice the familiar lady awfully near Haseul. The woman is running her hand through her orange hair. She’s wearing a fit black off-shoulder dress that emphasizes her curves not to mention the long slit exposing her milky thighs. 

That woman could only be none other than Viian Wong.

“ _ A-Are you seeing this?” _ Heejin stutters while keeping her eyes on the scene.

Sooyoung blinks multiple times to make sure this isn’t just hallucinating from all the alcohol intake. “She sure didn’t lie when she said she’d get a snack,  _ damn _ .”

From afar, they can clearly see how red Haseul’s neck and face are after seeing Vivi initiate a conversation. A couple of minutes later, the bartender from the counter hands out not just one, but two cocktails for both of them to clink on. 

“It looks like we aren’t getting our food soon” Heejin says with a pout..

Sooyoung places her arm around Heejin’s shoulders and whispers next to her ear. “Now that my friend is the face of someone in love.”

The manager’s body stiffens as her heart looks like it’s about to burst out of her chest. She’s probably just blurting our lame jokes and embarrassing herself but Vivi definitely enjoys Haseul’s presence. 

“ _ Uhh _ , I don’t know about you but she looks  _ kinda _ constipated over there. I think we should help her out?” Heejin suggests to the other.

“Look, have you seen Viian Wong smile that wide or laugh that hard— no, smile or even laugh? She’s only ever like that to Haseul...  _ she’ll be fine _ .” Sooyoung assures her best friend. 

What she said is true, Vivi isn’t just any woman to chat around casually. She isn’t necessarily a social butterfly. She has always been in it for the business, not for some small talk. However, seeing what’s going on in front of them, it seems like they’ve been mistaken. Is it because her bangs are moved aside and her forehead has finally seen the light or has she always been this way? They both aren’t sure of the answer but one thing they are sure of is that Haseul is winning in life right now.

“Well let’s text her some support, shall we?” Sooyoung says with an evil grin and one eyebrow up.

Usually Heejin wouldn’t approve of Sooyoung’s shenanigans but being in the state she’s in right now, she isn’t thinking straight anymore and a little teasing wouldn’t be bad. 

She takes her phone from her pocket and they both hover their heads over it. As Heejin scrolls through her contacts to find Haseul’s name, Sooyoung notices an unfamiliar name under the manager’s.  _ That’s odd _ she says to herself. Sooyoung has never heard of someone named ‘Hyunjin’ come out from her friend before. 

_ I’ll find a way to ask about it later. _

Heejin and Sooyoung construct their message to Haseul, thinking of what could make her blush even harder if it is still possible to get redder than she already is. They hit send and wait for the girl’s reaction.

***

“ _ Hey brooo _ , can you get me one of those  _ uhhhh _ .. mini burgers and buffalo wings with some onion rings on the side?” Haseul barely finishes their order to the waiter who nods and walks away quickly to prepare the meal.

The manager isn’t in the right mind anymore after drinking too many alcoholic beverages which mainly consisted of mixed and pure ones that made her feel more intoxicated. She is hardly hanging on to reality but the booming party music surely keeps her ground.

She’s vibing along to the beat of a song playing in the background, minding her own business until she feels a  _ hard _ but satisfying slap on her ass, making it bounce before she flexes it.

“ _ Wha— _ “ Haseul sobers up for a second, so ready to fight whoever assaulted her but as soon as she turns around, she knows she would have regretted every single second of her life.

“ _ Again please _ .” she blurts out unconsciously.

Haseul’s hazel eyes shoot wide open when she sees it’s not a man in front of her, but Vivi who seems to have a little more than she should have. She puts her hand on her mouth to keep it from slipping.

Thankfully, the other woman didn’t seem to hear it because of all the noise coming from the bar, chit-chats and speakers. She tries to go closer to the manager so she could repeat what she said but since she too is past her limit, walking straight is a challenge, and well, she failed.

The CEO loses her balance and falls over Haseul who catches her at the right time even though she’s close to being in her shoes as well. 

For a moment, Haseul is internally panicking. Who wouldn’t be when her crush’s arms are around her narrow shoulders and her hands are on the gorgeous woman’s small waist. Blood rushes through her neck up until her face, making her look similar to a ripe tomato. 

“ _ V-Vivi! _ A-Are you o-okay?!” Haseul stumbles over her words as she helps the CEO get back at her feet.

“Sorry H-Haseul! I’m just a little tipsy that’s all.” The ginger admits.

Before the bobbed woman has the chance to speak again, Vivi moves past her to the nearby open bar and asks for the bartender to mix up two tequila sunrises for the both of them. 

“Hey I-” she pokes the woman’s bare shoulder gently. Vivi rotates to look at Haseul immediately after she has captured her attention. Their faces are inches away from each other, almost like having personal space doesn’t exist. Haseul’s frozen but retreats promptly by taking a step back and continues her sentence in a concerned manner. “I-I think we had enough drinks for tonight, especially you Vivi.” 

The CEO doesn't reply yet and calls over a waiter holding up a large tray of prawn cocktails. She takes two as well and hands one to Haseul which she receives with no choice but to take it. 

Vivi indulges in the delicious finger food first followed by Haseul. Even with such a small appetizer, their mouths water for more of it. 

What Haseul did not expect is when the other woman slowly reaches towards her face. She doesn’t know how to react to it, so by instinct, she closes her eyes while her brain slowly malfunctions. 

She feels the lightest touch from the girl’s thumb near her lips. She opens one eye gradually to check what the girl is up to. Apparently, she’s wiping some sauce on her face but her mind goes blank when she sees Vivi withdraw her hand to lick it off her finger. Speechless. That’s one word to describe what she feels as of the moment.

“I guess you’re refusing my offer then?” Vivi pouts after getting a hold of the two drinks. 

“I-I never said that!” Haseul answers alertly.

Vivi smiles widely at the girl’s panicked reply and proceeds to give her the second glass. “That's what I like to hear!” 

Haseul scratches her head out of embarrassment as she takes it. They both raise their glasses and bump them gently, creating a soft clink sound. As they are drinking it, Haseul receives a text from Heejin and continues to read it.

**_Heejin:_** _We don’t think you should be eye-fucking the snack you got over there but go crazy, go stupid HAHAHA_

Haseul chokes on the drink which was passing through her throat midway and starts to cough. Vivi pats her back in a hurry in hopes to make her feel better. She sends a glare at the two drunk idols who are laughing way too hard. She types down her reply to her friends and hits send.

**Haseul:** _She’s a whole fucking feast, get it right._

***

“Yo Heej...” Sooyoung calls out to her best friend.

Heejin moves her head sluggishly which is still resting on Sooyoung’s shoulder. At this point, their bodies are numb from the alcohol pumping in their veins. Water has not touched their lips either ever since they got there. She lets out a small  _ hmm?  _ and looks at her drunk buddy.

“No offense, but since when were you a  _ het _ ?” The older woman backs away a few inches and tilts her head. Her eyebrows furrow, expressing how utterly confused she is with her assumption.

“Did you just call me a—” Heejin runs off her sentence, even more addled than she already is.

“C’mon, no need to be shy about it..” the taller woman teases. “Well I mean, yeah, boys are  _ fucking  _ disappointing and here goes your first flaw.. no one’s perfect after all.” She continues.

Heejin pauses, not because she disagrees with what she said but because she absolutely does not understand where this is all coming from. Although what Sooyoung said about boys was pretty much right, she could assure that she is  _ certainly _ not straight

She gives a puzzled look deciphering whether Sooyoung is just plain drunk despite her having a higher tolerance than herself, or she really dropped her head as a baby.

“Oh stop acting dumb Heejin. I know I’m stupid but I’m not  _ that _ stupid...” Sooyoung grins even more as her face is a few inches away from the brunette.

“Well..you’re stupid enough to think I would even like a ma—  _ see _ can’t even say it.” The younger woman replies while trying to act as if she’s about to vomit

Sooyoung’s stubborn mind is still unconvinced with the argument she returned back. She doesn’t really care if Heejin hid something like this from her, after all she did keep her mouth shut about dating an ex-labelmate. However, since her eyes are quick to catch the contact, she couldn’t help but be curious about it. “Prove it then.” 

“Fine. How?” Heejin asks, tired of being falsely accused. She is ready to let Sooyoung make a fool out of herself since she doesn’t have anything to hide from her best friend, well, except having a crush on her ex-labelmate before.

“Give me your phone.” Sooyoung orders her and gives her a challenging look full of confidence.

The brunette tosses her phone to the other idol without hesitation. Thankfully Sooyoung catches it without a sweat despite how drunk she is. However, in this situation, Heejin’s mind is completely gone and she probably won’t even remember this happening. “Okay then. Suit yourself.”

Sooyoung knows Heejin’s passcode like it was on the back of her hand, it has always been the same old one ever since their trainee days. She unlocks the phone easily and goes through her contacts.

Once she finds the name she was looking for, she dials it and proceeds to put the gadget next to her ear. She waits patiently for the person on the other line to pick up. 

_ No answer. _

_ “ _ Ha! told you so.” Heejin mocks the girl and tries to reach for the phone but Sooyoung stops her by pushing her head away and stretching her other long arm with the device opposite to the brunette.

“One last try.” The older woman says while Heejin moves her head back at her own will with the energy that she has left.

Sooyoung takes her second attempt and her curiosity is going to kill her at this point. It’s not like she can’t ask her friend about it but she believes that it’s more fun to find out this way. 

She’s slowly losing hope as the dial tone goes on. Maybe it would just be best to ask the girl, though her pride won’t let her do that. The second she is about to give up, someone answers the call. 

Though it would be barely audible with the noise surrounding Sooyoung, her frown immediately turns into a small evil smirk as she hears a low and irritated groan speak up. from the other side.

***

Hyunjin passed out after her football training earlier. It’s been awhile since she was last on the field. She genuinely missed the smell of the grass, the harsh sunlight and mostly the sport itself. If it wasn’t for her bad injury the other time, she would’ve kept going with her training, especially since the tryouts for the National Women’s Team are getting closer.

She has been playing ever since her highschool days but she has been scouted by one of the best coaches in the country who gave her a full scholarship during college. What made her stand out from the others is the amount of determination, passion, and effort she puts toward the sport.

Hyunjin may not radiate the aura of a people’s person but somehow when it comes to football, everyone is her friend, in or out of the field. Her and her teammates have grown an unquestionably special bond with one another as the years go by and it’s obvious in the eyes of the coaches as well as the crowd.

This has always been her dream from the beginning but not everyone was supportive of the potential of her future. So, she worked hard persistently without caring about the weather. She always made time to improve herself and that’s what made her who she is today. 

As she is quietly sleeping on her king-sized bed, recovering from her sore muscles, her phone rings constantly. She groans on how heavy her body is feeling but she tries her best to reach for it on her circular wooden bedside table. 

Her eyes react by squinting as her phone’s brightness blinds her. A second after she gets used to the light, she reads the caller id as well as the time.

_ Who the fuck? It’s like 1:34 in the morning.,  _ she whispers crankily under her breath. 

She decides to let it keep ringing until it ends and puts a pillow above her head to shut off the noise, thinking the person calling would probably notice they’re dialing the wrong number. 

It stops and finally, her peace and quiet are back. She closes her eyes to doze back off to dreamland but another round of ringing continues.

_ Dammit _ she swears. 

She’s had enough and throws the pillow placed above her head away to answer the call from the unknown number. “Hello?” she says in a hoarse voice and an angry tone.

“Hey punk, you have to go through  _ me  _ first you kno—?” An aggressive but feminine voice can be heard on the line as well as party music, she assumes. 

“You got the wrong number,  _ punk _ ” she cuts her off. 

She immediately presses the end button and chucks her phone back to the nightstand. It's probably just another prank call by a stupid drunkard that can’t get over her ex. She enjoys her short-term peace and gives a deep sigh until the stranger rings her up again, ruining her exhale midway.  _ Gosh what is her problem?  _ She’s annoyed but she accepts it anyways, this time she doesn’t even want to bother to talk.

“ _Who are you calling a punk?!_ Plus you’re _so_ _bad_ at acting. C’mon, since when did you like Heejin? It’s not like I’m gonna spread your little secret.” The woman initiates with a question

“What do you mean? You’re the one who called me punk fi—  _ wait _ .” The girl pauses but her mind doesn’t.  _ Heejin?  _ She tries to process what the stranger just said. No one knows about her secret nor her being a fansite. 

_ Wait wait wait. _

She repeats over and over again, digging for an answer on the back of her head despite her drowsiness. But when a thought emerges, her whole body wakes up. This stranger isn’t just some random drunk woman with issues, it’s most likely the girl who stole no, has her phone for  _ ‘safe keeping’.  _ And  _ that _ same girl is in possession of her dear photocard. 

“Hey! Stop going through my phone!” Hyunjin warns the woman by slightly shouting, hoping their fingerprints don’t mark the picture.

“ _ Your phone? _ Wait a minute— you ain’t the man I was talking to earlier.  _ What the fuck? _ Is this his girlfriend?!” The stranger rambles and confuses Hyunjin even more.

“This is Hyunjin, the  _ same _ person you’ve been calling  _ punk _ , and  _ do I sound like a man to you? _ ” She asks, stupefied 

“Wait aren’t you Hyunjin from Stray—“ the other gets cut off before getting to finish her sentence when another female voice joins in.

It seems like they’re playing tug-of-war over the device by the sounds of it and she doesn’t even know how her tired brain would process everything happening. The music and the two voices start to muffle the call, making Hyunjin clueless with what's going on but really what matters to her right now is that photocard. hoping it returns to her unscathed from the alcohol, stains and fingerprints, 

“I’m way taller than you, can you stop jumping you’re gonna—“ 

Hyunjin gasps in horror when she hears someone puke from the background. She doesn’t even get to speak once more because the call ends abruptly. 

_ “Fuck!”  _ She shouts, looking at her phone’s screen which is back at her lockscreen. She throws her phone out of misery and slumps her face on the pillow. She’s devastated by the thought that her photocard is covered in churned food and alcohol by now. 

Not only that it’s her very first one but more importantly, it was signed by  _ Jeon Heejin _ . Yes, she’s a fansite photographer and she will definitely see her again in the future however, it was like something was ripped out from her heart. She honestly hopes that this was all a bad nightmare but no, it had to be reality and that just makes everything worse for her.

Out of anger and sadness, she finds her phone without looking and spams the unknown phone number with a bunch of texts for the girl to read the next day. She tosses it on the other side of the bed again and turns her body towards the wall.

Although it may just be some photocard, that isn’t the case for Hyunjin. She was never that pissed at someone to hold grudges but that girl  _ surely _ made her change in a snap.

She shuts her eyes to continue in her sleep, but the rush and adrenaline kicks in, making her unable to doze off in peace. She clenches her fist in frustration and starts to talk with her whole chest.

_ Jeez, I hate her so much. How could anyone even put up with someone like her? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of the chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please show your support if you did <3 
> 
> Twitter: @stanzbl  
> CuriousCat: curiouscat.me/stanzbl


	3. A Different Kind of Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyoneeee! Here's another update for all of you! I'm kind of slow in writing recently because class is taking a lot of my time but hopefully I'll get to write more soon! Anyways, go enjoy guys <3
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

_ Ouch! _

Sooyoung runs her fingers through her disheveled hair and clenches it tightly on her aching head. She wakes up with the usual hangover that she gets after a long night of drinking and partying. It’s not like she didn’t expect it coming but she had hoped that it wouldn’t be this bad.

She opens her eyes slowly against the blinding sun. Her vision is still slightly blurry but it’s enough for her to notice that she isn’t on her own bed. She sits up to get a better view of the room and turns to her left just to see her knocked out best friend sleeping with her arms sprawled out.  _ How is this girl even an idol?  _ She ponders as she judges the strange position the brunette is in.

She manages to gradually stand up, fighting against her heavy body that is dragging her back down, dying to get back to the soft white sheets. Aside from the sharp pain from her headache, her loud rumbling stomach makes her think of how hungry she actually is. 

So she makes her way to Heejin’s kitchen just to find herself disappointed and in dismay. There is no actual food whatsoever in her pantry, let alone her fridge. However, she should know by now that her best friend can barely cook anything without burning it.

After rummaging through all the cabinets and cupboards, she concludes that she should just gather some ingredients from her place as well as go for a quick shower while she's there.

She trudges over to her apartment and the first thing she sees is Hyejoo and Chaewon quietly sleeping on the couch, sharing a comforter perfectly sized for the two. It’s around noon so she figures that they probably fell asleep a few hours ago, which is probably why they are still snoring. On the table, there are a bunch of opened chips, a box of pizza with a few cold slices left, and... _ an oddly cut watermelon _ ? 

The place is a complete mess but she doesn’t really mind. She’ll probably order her little sister to tidy it up anyways, plus she is just here to get some food for her and Heejin, that’s what matters right now.

As she is about to twist the doorknob of the bathroom, someone from the inside opens it before she does. Standing in front of her is a tiny dozy blonde wearing her oversized shirt.

“Holy crap Sooyoung-unnie! You look like  _ shit!”  _ Yeojin shouts but not loud enough to disturb the other two sleeping teens.

“And _ that _ looks like my shirt...” Sooyoung adds as she points to the piece of clothing. 

The blonde pinches it and gives it a good look. “But Hyejoo said I can borrow anything from her closet.” the young girl defends herself confidently while stepping out of the bathroom.

“We share the same walking closet Yeojin...but it’s fine.” The idol mentions as she follows behind her. “Hold up. Weren’t you supposed to be picked up by Haseul last night?”

“My tipsy sister driving us both home?  _ Nah _ . I’m too young to die, plus y’all never run out of food here.” Yeojin says as she jumps back onto the other sofa. Sooyoung looks at the watermelon remains on the table and the blonde catches her staring at it.

“ _ Oh,  _ Hyejoo sliced it using a teaspoon ‘cause I told her she couldn’t do it...” the younger girl explains.

Sooyoung has so many questions left unanswered in her mind, like  _ how did they get a watermelon?  _ But her already pounding head decides to leave her in confusion rather than have to process the whole story from the talkative teen. “Anyways, I’m just here to shower and get some food for Heejin.”

“Why? What happened to her?” Yeojin asks as she drinks her glass of water, not out of concern but more to get ready to tease her with the new information.

Sooyoung walks into the bathroom, but before shutting the door she answers her questions “The bitch puked on me then blacked out on her vomit afterwards.” 

Surprised at the unexpected answer, Yeojin chokes and spits out the water she was gulping midway, waking Hyejoo and Chaewon up from their sleep.

  
  


***

  
  


Heejin regains her consciousness when she hears loud clanging coming from the kitchen. She sees her bedroom door slightly open and her first instinct is to get up but she completely forgets the state she’s currently in. Her whole body is sore, almost as if she’s paralyzed on her bed. Her head feels like it’s being hit several times with hundreds of mallets. Her mouth's as dry as a desert and her stomach is starving like she hasn’t eaten for decades. 

Not even a minute has passed from her waking up and she already feels like wanting to puke her guts out. Just doing slight movements with her head makes her dizziness much worse than it already is. 

Having a hangover is a new experience for her, and she’s convinced that this isn’t just a normal hangover but instead  _ pure hell _ coming from Satan’s ass. That’s probably the most accurate description of how she is feeling right now.

She rolls out of her bed and uses her weak hands to guide her along the wall towards the exit. When she gets to the door, she pushes it gently, instantly inhaling the mouth-watering aroma coming from outside her room. She slowly peeks to where the smell is originating from and sees her best friend Sooyoung cooking something good.

The creak from the door opening is more than loud enough to distract the chef from her business. Sooyoung changes her focus to the sick-looking girl walking towards her but is still mindful not to burn the food she’s preparing. 

“Gosh Heej, you look…  _ horrible _ .” the cook mocks her appearance in disgust.

Heejin checks herself, glancing at a mirror not too far away from her. She definitely does look  _ horrible _ . Her face is pale white. Her eyes are puffy and her limbs seem so weak, as if they were about to fall off. Not to mention how drained she is from the splitting headache that doesn’t seem to end. “What time is it?” She tries to speak despite the pain.

“It’s past lunch time.” The girl says as she flips a perfectly golden brown pancake in the air. 

More thoughts run through the mind of the brunette, making it throb even more. “Pancakes for lunch?”

Sooyoung gives off a somewhat offended look. “First of all, breakfast food hits at any time of day. Second, consider yourself lucky that you have someone like me to cook for your hangover...” she makes it clear to the other girl as she butters the skillet for the next pancake.

“What happened last night?” Heejin asks as she rests her head on her palms while she sits in the dining area.

“Y-You don’t remember anything at all?” Sooyoung makes fun of her but tries to keep in a laugh.

“Why would I ask if I remembered...” Heejin snaps at her friend unintentionally with a slightly irritated tone. She raises her head and gives her a deadly stare but then calms herself down and returns back to normal. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound pissed.”

There’s a silent pause between them but it’s because Sooyoung is too focused on frying the bacon to pair with their pancakes later on. She finally turns her attention to the idol and replies. “Well, you were jumping  _ so much _ that you ended up puking on me,  _ then _ you had the guts to black out  _ so _ Haseul and I dragged your ass back here...” 

As Sooyoung narrates what occurred last night, Heejin slowly spaces out as she recollects her memories, to the point where she’s not listening to the girl complain about how much she was a struggle to bring home. 

“And I just bought that shirt like a week ago.  _ A week ago Heej— _ “ Sooyoung complains sadly but gets cut off when the brunette jolts up from her seat and runs back into her bedroom.

“Fuck!” Heejin shouts out loud when she finally remembers why she was jumping so much. She rushes to find her phone which is charging on the side. She panics as she sees several notifications from her fansite. After recovering all her lost memories, she’s too nervous and embarrassed to open it, almost forgetting that she’s hungover. This isn’t the Hyunjin she faces during her schedules, this is the girl she met at Subway, cold and slightly scary. 

She takes a deep breath in to gather the small amount of courage left in her before she unlocks her phone.

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : are you serious?  _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : you gotta be fucking kidding me. _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : weren’t you taught not to go through someone’s things? _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : you had one fucking job and you fucking messed that up. _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : after saving you from that jerk... _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : thanks a lot. _

Heejin feels angry and ashamed at the same time as she scrolls through the texts. Angry because she’s about to murder Sooyoung once she steps out of her room. Ashamed because she didn’t mean to do this to Hyunjin, especially since all that her fansite has been is supportive; she even defended her from that  _ man. _

_ “ _ Sooyoung, you’re fucking dead!” she yells a threat as she charges toward the chef. 

“W-Wait! The bacon might burn wai—“ the other idol doesn’t finish her sentence and makes a run for it when she sees how serious Heejin is.

“Come here bitch!” Heejin shouts as they circle around the table, opposite to each other. 

Heejin tries to chase her best friend but her adrenaline can’t keep up with her drained body. Sooyoung on the other hand is still suffering from a hangover although she has drunk enough times to know how to manage herself by this point.

In less than a minute, the both of them are already panting heavily. Heejin raises her hand as if she were about to smack Sooyoung out of the orbit. Her best friend shuts her eyes and hides behind her arms crossed in front of her face. “ **_I’m sorry!_ ** If you didn’t like bacon you could’ve just told me!”

Heejin is truly stunned by the girl’s cluelessness and love for food. “Bac— Sooyoung this isn’t about the  _ fucking  _ bacon. This is about Hyunjin.” 

“Hyunjin?” The woman asks as she tilts her head but the sound of bacon sizzling in the background suddenly catches their attention. She goes back to her cooking and continues talking. “The rude woman we were talking to last night? Why do you even have her number?”

“It’s a long story but basically she saved me from a nasty man in Subway the other day and dropped her phone and  _ well _ , she’s also my fansite...” Heejin admits straightforwardly and stays behind the chef.

“And _that_ fansite has your number?! Are you dumb Heej? I think you hit your head when you blacked out.” Sooyoung starts to argue with her out of concern, glancing back and forth between the bacon and her friend.

In all honesty, Sooyoung is pretty worried since Heejin is not just a trainee anymore. She's already at the beginning of her idol life and even though she teases the brunette a lot, she knows how important this career is to Heejin, especially knowing how hard she worked to achieve this. She wants to make sure that her friend doesn’t commit any mistakes that she could avoid along the way.

“Don’t worry, she didn’t recognize me.  _ I mean _ … would she talk like that if she knew it was me?” Heejin reassures her.

Sooyoung does agree with her point and it actually does sound fun too. An idol having a one-on-one conversation with their fan? It would absolutely be a fan’s life-long dream come true. But the twist is the fan not knowing it’s them. “Okay  _ but... _ when and how are you going to give it back? Are you gonna ask Haseul-unnie to return it? It’s not like you can just approach her during your schedules.” 

“ _ Uhh _ actually, I plan to return it myself.” Heejin says with a bit of hesitation behind her words, but she believes it would be the best way to repay her after everything she has done. From Hyunjin supporting her in her career, saving her from a man, as well as dealing with her and Sooyoung’s phone call late at night.

“But for now, I have to apologize for  _ your _ dumb ass.” The brunette pokes the older woman harshly and sits back down on the dining table. As Heejin thinks of how she will construct her sincere apology, she rereads the text messages from Hyunjin once more.

After taking quite a long time to write out her message, she finally musters up some courage to hit “send”. She drops her device on the table out of nervousness, with it making a small thud sound as it touches the surface.

She stares at it for a while, patiently waiting for a reply while repeatedly tapping her foot on the floor due to how scared she is. She doesn’t want to make Hyunjin even angrier, especially since the girl is one of her most supportive fan sites. But deep inside, she’s really just hoping that the redhead won’t hate her, knowing that she isn't aware that it’s Heejin behind the screen.

A notification buzzes her phone and she flinches out of her seat. She has never grabbed her phone any faster than she just did. Heejin unlocks her phone and quickly scans through the text.

_ Your food is getting cold… take it or leave it bitch _

Heejin looks at Sooyoung who is sitting on the opposite side of the table holding her phone in her hand, shifting her eyes towards the pancakes. She rolls her eyes and puts the phone aside to bring the plate of food nearer to her.

  
  


***

  
  


“Can you move a little bit to your le— okay stop there!” Hyunjin directs Yerim as she takes a photo with the camera.

Apparently, the Jung residence is not a house anymore but instead, a photography studio. Since their parents are working abroad, Jinsoul is left alone with her little sister at home. The older sibling doesn’t really mind as long as they don’t break anything valuable. While Hyunjin is struggling to bend into positions in order to get the right angles of Yerim, the latter is posing at every corner of the house including tabletops, counters and curtains. 

Earlier, as the two were showing each other funny videos from their Instagram feed and enjoying each other’s company, Yerim had a sudden idea to have a photoshoot so that she can have something nice to post. It has been awhile since she last posted but to be honest, she just wants to be complimented on how exceptionally pretty she looks today.

Of course she knew how hard it would be to drag and convince Hyunjin to ask for her help and be her photographer but she used her only power card,  _ bread. _ She promised to travel all the way to Hyunjin’s favorite bakery that is 2 hours away from where they are, just to get her best friend’s favourite croissants.

Luckily, Hyunjin’s training will only continue in a few days which means she is able to spend time together with Yerim. The excessive training from before has also resulted in pain building up in her calf muscles, so this can be an opportunity for her to relax and recover.

After the redhead captures a picture of Yerim posing along the window seat, she proceeds to check the gallery to see if the pictures are coming out well, the model joining in quickly.

“ _ Woah!  _ How are you so good at this? You didn’t tell me you had a secret talent for photography Hyun.  **_Ah!_ ** I look cute there!” She praises the girl and points to a certain image, feeling more than impressed and satisfied with her photos.

“Uhh… thanks.” Hyunjin doesn’t really reply much to the girl’s compliment but she does feel proud and confident with her skills when it comes to her photography, especially since she has set high standards for herself when it comes to producing photos now that she’s a fansite. She focuses more on quality than quantity. Due to this, her big following believes that she’s doing God’s work. 

They are so focused on their project that they do not notice how much time has passed since they began, mostly because they are blasting their shared playlist out loud in the background. 

Their momentum gets interrupted when they hear the tinkling of what seems to be house keys unlocking the front door.

A tall familiar blonde enters the household, rubbing her shoes on the welcome mat but she wouldn’t be complete without her other half with her as well. 

“Hi kiddos! We got you some donuts!” Jungeun greets them warmly while raising a box of sweets to show them before placing it on the kitchen counter.

Jinsoul looks at the two friends and spots Hyunjin holding the camera she and Yerim own. “What’s with the camera?” She asks as she comes nearer, still holding onto the hand of the love of her life.

“Yerim promised me to get bread from my favorite bakery if I took photos of her.” Hyunjin says as she passes the device to the couple so that they can look through the results of the day’s work.

“Also, Jungeun-unnie why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be with Chuu-unnie in the cafe today?” Yerim questions her boss.

“I was, but we closed early ‘cause we wanted to do karaoke night today! Chuu should be here anytime soon too.” Her sister’s girlfriend answers with hints of excitement in her voice.

Although the cafe usually closes by 10  _ p.m _ , the two co-owners run their business somewhat differently from the rest. Whenever Jungeun and Chuu have plans together, whether or not it’s decided on the spot, they will definitely do whatever they want, just like closing early today. What’s so great about it is that they don’t need to worry about losing money because the cafe booms successfully either way through their networks.

Speaking of the woman, the doorbell rings repeatedly without stopping. All of them are sure that person outside could only be Chuu.

The purple-haired girl scuttles over to open the door just to be attacked by a tight embrace from the older woman. “ **_Yerim!”_ ** she shouts in her usual high-pitched voice and looks at the other three and sees the redhead too. “ **_Hyun!”_ ** she says afterwards, not letting go of her hold on the other girl. After Chuu says her hellos, the couple approaches her.

“I thought you’d lose your way here Jiwoo.” Jungeun calls her by her real name and teases her about her driving.

“Me too Jungie but then my radio started telling me where I needed to go which was weird...” she whispers to her best friend while covering her mouth with one hand. “I was kinda scared if you ask me, I think my car is haunted.” Jinsoul and Jungeun turn to each other simultaneously to give  _ that _ look and then return their gaze back to Chuu.

“Don’t you mean the GPS... installed in your car.” Hyunjin joins the conversation, internally facepalming at the woman’s lack of knowledge regarding cars and driving in general.

“Oh! I don’t know what that is, but  _ whatever _ ! What matters is that we’re all here and we can start singing ‘til the neighbors call the cops on us!” Jiwoo walks toward the small karaoke machine that is attached to the tv and turns it on while the others settle into a comfortable position.

Jinsoul brings some snacks from the kitchen as Chuu throws a thick book full of songs in front of the rest of the group.

“So who wants to go first?” 

  
  


***

  
  


The living room is now slightly dim since Jinsoul requested Yerim to turn some lights off before the couple starts their duet together. The audience, Jiwoo, Hyunjin and Yerim sitting respectively in that order, have no clue on what is about to go down in front of them but the older girl is smiling even more widely, trying to control her excitement. 

After Chuu helps them input the song number into the karaoke machine, they see the two women stand a few feet apart with their heads down almost like they rehearsed this before. The moment the song title displays itself on the screen and the sound of piano keys start to play, Hyunjin and Yerim already know this is going to be  _ overly dramatic _ .

_ “Living in my own world”  _ Jinsoul starts by singing in a lower register with her eyes closed, feeling the song with her entire soul.

Their jaws drop, mouth agape in awe of what they’re seeing. Not because of the blonde’s voice and range which has always been amazing, but her dramatic acting that comes with it. 

Jinsoul pauses to turn her head exaggeratedly towards Jungeun’s direction. “ _ When you take a chance” _

_ “I never believed in”  _ Jungeun sings the part of Gabriela, this time approaching the blonde with the same level of emotion. 

As the redhead watches them attentively, Yerim and Jiwoo sandwich her and mouth the lyrics along with Jungeun’s voice. Hyunjin pushes their faces away and shares a laugh.

They enter the pre chorus and Jinsoul begins to go nearer to her girlfriend as they try to close the gap. Their hands naturally gravitate to one another as they blend in each other’s harmonies perfectly.

_ “This could be the start of something new _

_ It feels so right to be here with you (oh)” _

Chuu and Yerim manage to break Hyunjin’s tough exterior so all of them can join in the chorus. The mood in the air is light and cheery. There’s no doubt that everyone’s having a great time.

The women behind the performers show their support by clapping their hands to the beat of the music while waving their bodies left and right. 

_ “And now looking in your eyes _

_ I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)” _

Jinsoul puts her hand onto her partner’s cheek gently caressing it and the latter also puts her hand on top of the other’s, smiling widely like they’re the only people present in the room.

_ “The start of something new” _

Their voices merge into one harmony when they sing the last line together. Although the two younger girls on the couch are probably grossed out by how much flirting is going on and the designated supportive friend is applauding and whistling way too much as expected, It is undeniable that there is overflowing chemistry between the couple.

Jinsoul and Jungeun turn their backs to give their bows and curtseys, full of pride after their performance. They may look like a hot couple from the outside but honestly, they’re just two dorks in love.

“ _ Wahh  _ Jungie! I wanna sing one with you too!” Jiwoo exclaims.

Jungeun laughs and untangles her fingers from her girlfriend’s to sit next to Chuu who has the record book on her lap.

Meanwhile, Yerim invites her older sister to a duet with her as well since Hyunjin doesn’t want to participate. The redhead watches both of them hype up an intense version of ‘A Thousand Miles’ which consists of several headbangs, hairflips and singing on top of their lungs.

Hyunjin cracks into a small genuine smile because of seeing how cute those siblings are. She would actually love to take part in the whole karaoke night but she feels so tiny when everyone else in the room is so gifted with a beautiful voice. 

The only person who has heard her sing is probably Yerim. In fact, Hyunjin knows how to play some instruments like the guitar and her favorite, the ukulele (just because it has a cat-shaped hole and a fish on its bridge). 

As the Jung siblings start to wrap up their performance, Hyunjin remembers that she hasn’t checked her phone for text messages and updates about the try-outs and Heejin. The redhead doesn’t realize that Jungeun goes in front once again but this time with Jiwoo beside her.

She looks through her usual notifications from being a fansite but she notices a text message from the person she despises the most, the person she saved from Subway and the person who puked on her signed photocard who is now under the contact name  _ Barf Face. _

She hesitates for a moment because her blood is beginning to boil as she replays the events of last night. When she sees a long message from the woman, her phone gets snatched by Chuu. “Hey—“ she tries to raise her voice because she was unable to read it but falls short as the older woman sings and uses her phone as a prop.

_ “Baby, can't you see _

_ I’m calling” _

Jiwoo starts the show with her playful and flirtatious antics, her back bent to bring her face near Hyunjin who squirms and shoos her to get away. Yerim and Jinsoul keep in a laugh as they see the redhead suffering on the other side of the couch.

Finally, the first verse ends for Chuu, giving Hyunjin her personal space back. This time Jungeun approaches her girlfriend but with a different air around her. The same girl who was singing High School Musical awhile ago is now singing Toxic by Britney Spears and if that isn’t duality then what is?

_ “There's no escape _

_ I can't wait” _

Jungeun sings as she traces a line using her index finger, from the blonde’s long neck to her chin, making sure her partner gets hypnotized with her voice and captivating brown eyes.

_ “I need a hit _

_ Baby, give me it” _

She continues but this time she tilts her body in an angle where she’s showing her side profile and her behind. As Jungeun sings the lyrics attractively, she doesn’t miss the opportunity to communicate to her girlfriend using her eyes. 

Jinsoul understands the message sent across her telepathically and gives a nice spank on her ass with a devilish grin on her face. 

_ “You're dangerous _

_ I'm loving it” _

The performer expresses her feelings towards the action using the next pair of lyrics and winks at her partner. 

_ “Oh god _ get a room please.” Yerim who was beside her older sister the whole time has now scooched over to Hyunjin, hiding her face on the redhead’s shoulder, traumatized after witnessing a whole lot of flirting enough for her whole lifetime in front of her, almost as if she was interrupting something between them that should’ve been kept  _ privately. _

_ “Oh,  _

_ The taste of your lips _

_ I'm on a ride _

_ You’re toxic I’m slippin’ under” _

Jungeun joins Jiwoo, swaying their hips and dancing sexily to the music. Although they’re moving quite a lot, their control lets them nail each note perfectly. 

They’re just about to reach the end of their performance and Jungeun comes back to Jinsoul to give one last tease.

_ “I'm addicted to you _

_ Don't you know that you're toxic?” _

She smiles as she sings with a husky voice while she moves her thumb at the blonde’s plump lips. As soon as Jinsoul notices where her girlfriend’s eyes are, Jiwoo does her magic by pushing her best friend using the strength of her butt. 

Yerim covers her eyes with her hands when Jungeun kisses her older sister. Sometimes, Hyunjin feels bad for her best friend for having to put up with these kinds of affection almost everyday.

“Hyun, catch!” Jiwoo shouts as she throws Hyunjin’s phone back.

The redhead doesn’t panic and gets to grasp it easily even though it was already thrown mid-air when Chuu signaled her. She immediately goes back to where she left off and opens the text. 

“Yikes! What did you do Hyun? That’s one long message you have there.” Yerim says as she stretches her neck to have a peek of it.

“I didn’t do anything. She did.” Hyunjin argues and gets distracted by the girl’s remark. She turns her phone off and stands up, fixing her shirt. “Anyways, I think I’ll go ahead and deal with this at home...”

”You’re  _ really _ gonna leave me with three crackheads?” Yerim whispers under her breath, slightly worried about what would happen to her being in their care.

“ _ Uh yeah _ , that’s not my problem anymore but good luck with that.” The redhead gives a mischievous smile as she picks up her stuff before heading out of the Jung household.

“What? Hyun? Leaving already?” Jinsoul pulls away from the makeout session she was having a second ago.

“ _ Huh?!  _ You haven’t even sang with me yet! This isn’t fair.” Jiwoo adds while making a sad pouty face.

“Sorry. I just have to deal with some things but I hope you guys have fun!” Hyunjin says her farewells to everyone and waves before she shuts the front door to go to her car parked in front of the garage.

Once she’s inside of the vehicle, she clenches her fist out of anger and punches the steering wheel. Her blood is boiling just thinking of that stranger. It may seem shallow but she feels like the most unlucky person right now.

Her brand new phone is under the hands of  _ Barf Face  _ who most probably vomited tons of churned food and alcohol on it which eventually drowned her signed photocard of her favorite idol behind her phone case.

Getting a fan meet ticket was already difficult, how much more for another signed photocard? How could someone possibly replace her loss? That’s all the fansite can think of as she drives back silently.

  
  


***

  
  


Hyunjin barges in her apartment and chucks her car keys on the foyer table near the entrance. She sits on the leather office chair by her desk, making it spin a bit until she chooses to place her feet down to stop the motion.

She leans on the cushion, her face is serious and cold, almost similar to a person who’s about to beat someone to a pulp. She prepares herself for what she’s about to read by taking a deep breath in to calm her nerves down. Finally, she takes her phone from her pocket and reads the whole text this time.

**_Barf Face_ ** : omg i just saw your messages this is so embarrassing

**_Barf Face_ ** : I’m so so so so sorry 

**_Barf Face_ ** : please let me explain

**_Barf Face_ ** : I swear it wasn’t me who you were talking to last night, it was my friend 

At first glance, Hyunjin already knows how annoying this woman is just by the way she texts. She honestly feels like she’s talking to one of those people who find excuses so they can receive forgiveness easily but she isn’t someone to be fooled. 

**_Barf Face_ ** : we didn’t mean to bother you im so sorry huhuhu :(((

**_Barf Face_ ** : but don't worry your phone is okay it’s safe with me!!

_ Huh? Safe with her? The words ‘safe’ and ‘her’ shouldn’t even belong in the same sentence.  _ She jeers the stranger in her head.

**_Barf Face_ ** : I promise I’ll try to return your phone asap. I just don’t know when I can.

**_Barf Face_ ** : I’m really really sorry please don’t be mad :(((

Hyunjin reads the last set of messages again because she can’t believe what that woman just sent her. “‘Please don’t be mad’? How the _ fuck _ does she even have the gut to say that?” She violently reacts out loud. 

In the point of view of the redhead, this woman obviously isn’t aware of how important her phone really is, especially since it’s being held by her, a complete stranger, who also doesn’t seem to know what respecting one’s belongings are. Without hesitation and thinking of what to say beforehand, she pours all of the emotions she’s feeling as of now.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : How can I not be fucking mad?!

**_Hyunjin_ ** : If someone went through your phone, wouldn’t you be pissed too?

**_Hyunjin_ ** : I stg if something happened to my phone especially my fucking photocard, you’re dead.

After replying, all she can think of is how this really does frustrate her. This entire situation could’ve been avoided if she hadn’t dropped her phone and let the hands of a drunk woman take care of it but she can’t help but reply with a threat before she tosses her phone on the desk out of vexation. As she reevaluates what she could’ve done before, her phone buzzes and she immediately checks the new notification that pops up.

**_Barf Face_ ** : omg you finally replied huhuhu

**_Barf Face_ ** : what photocard?

**_Barf Face_ ** : and I never went through your phone..

**_Hyunjin_ ** : I guess you were so fucked up in the head that you don’t remember anything then.

She lets her fingers tap the keyboard to snap out an insult. Truthfully, she doesn’t mean to let her anger out all of a sudden but she can’t take it anymore. She doesn’t like it when someone tries to play dumb with her especially when it comes to something she owns, moreso if it’s valuable. 

**_Barf Face_ ** : [sent a picture]

**_Barf Face_ ** : Is it this one?

Hyunjin patiently waits for the photo to load and when it eventually does, she finds herself looking at her precious signed photocard of Heejin unscathed and definitely not in some stranger’s puke. Although she admits that she is slightly relieved now, what triggers her the most is the photocard in between the girl’s thumb and index finger.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Don’t fucking touch it bitch.

**_Barf Face_ ** : Huhuhu why are you so mad at me :<

**_Barf Face_ ** : I’m literally showing you that your phone and photocard are fine :((

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Well get your hands off my photocard

**_Hyunjin_ ** : You’re placing your dirty ass fingerprints on  _ the _ Jeon Heejin 

For some reason, there’s a somewhat long pause after she sends those messages and it makes her feel uneasy when she sees the typing bubble pop up several times from her textmate. However, that feeling leaves as soon as she sees a reply.

**_Barf Face_ ** : I guess you’re also a big fan of hers?? 

**_Hyunjin_ ** : You like Heejin too???

**_Barf Face_ ** : YUP! HAHAHA :DDD

Hyunjin feels slightly awkward now. She has never talked to someone in the same fandom as her. Sure she’s a fansite with quite a large following compared to the others but she rather keeps her identity lowkey in case her closest friends find out and tease her. 

Somehow, she completely forgets the main reason why she’s having this conversation with a random stranger. Maybe because she has a lot of things in her mind when her favorite idol is brought up as a topic and that is very distracting as someone who’s a fan.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Well, I’m actually her fansite.

**_Barf Face_ ** : Oooh! Why'd you become a fansite? 

**_Barf Face_ ** : I heard it’s difficult to be one.

The redhead pauses for a few seconds as she searches for an answer. She does have the usual response to why she’s a fan but she actually never really thought about why she became a fansite until now. She types down her thoughts but this time she’s calm and sincere.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Maybe because I wanna be closer to her.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Wait! I don’t mean that in a creepy way.. 

**_Hyunjin_ ** : It’s more like when you just wanna be special to an idol I guess? 

She doesn’t expect to share this part of herself to anyone, especially to someone she has never met officially. However, as the conversation keeps going, she’s starting to agree with those people who say that it’s easier to share personal experiences and feelings to a stranger since they can’t judge you at all.

**_Barf Face_ ** : aww that’s cute! uwu

**_Barf Face_ ** : But I think all other fans are special to her hihi

**_Hyunjin_ ** : I mean I know we’re special to her

**_Hyunjin_ ** : But that’s the point, everyone’s special and that's what makes you well..

**_Hyunjin_ ** : not special

Another long pause occurs and that’s when Hyunjin realizes that she got too carried away with her emotions regarding the reason why she’s a fansite. She shakes her head to bring herself back to the original topic.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : anyways can I just have my phone back please?

**_Barf Face_ ** : oh only your phone?

**_Barf Face_ ** : I guess that photocard is mine now hehehe :P

**_Hyunjin_ ** : fuck off..

**_Barf Face_ ** : I'm just kidding, please don’t yell at me :(

The longer Hyunjin talks to the woman, the more she’s starting to consider her someone as a normal human being, but maybe it’s the fact that she stans the same idol as her that changed her behavior toward the girl. She recalls the Subway incident and she concludes that the stranger is just some harmless and sensitive person whose drunk side managed to piss her off the other day.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Can I get it by next week? Or if sooner, it’d be better.

**_Barf Face_ ** : I promise that I’ll update you when I can :((

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Fine.

**_Hyunjin_ ** : Just put back my photocard and please don’t touch my phone anymore

**_Barf Face_ ** : Don’t worry, I won’t :)

**_Barf Face_ ** : Anyways, I have to go and eat now!

**_Barf Face_ ** : I’m sorry again for the hassle huhu :((

Hyunjin checks the time as she gets reminded that it’s dinner. She is about to switch her phone off as she sees the conversation end but unexpectedly, she receives another message from the girl. 

**_Barf Face_ ** : also If you need anyone to talk to about Heejin, you can always talk to me about it hehe <3

_ If I need to talk to anyone about Heejin? _

Hyunjin thinks about the text for a while. Well, for someone who has never interacted with a fellow fan, she does consider taking note of her offer. Since she refuses to talk about it with Yerim and the others, a stranger wouldn’t be so bad right? Plus that same stranger does have her phone so she’d be in contact for a while either way. What could possibly happen?

**_Hyunjin_ ** : will do :)

After she sends her final reply, she stands up so she can prepare dinner. She gives her body a good long stretch to soothe the stress she had earlier. Her mood is a bit lighter now knowing that her phone and her dear photocard are safe and intact. As she is about to walk towards the kitchen, her phone vibrates on the table.

She takes a look once again assuming that it’s Barf Face but she’s clearly mistaken when she sees that it’s actually a notification from the Vlive app that mentions there’s a surprise live from Heejin. 

_ I guess today isn’t that bad huh?  _ She says to herself as she clicks on it.

  
  


***

  
  


It’s been around 4 days since Heejin overcame her hangover. She’s glad that she’s finally back to work but this time her schedule is quite different from the usual. Today, she’s participating in the annual Sprite event, not just as an idol but as their new muse.

A representative from the manufacturing company came over to ViVi Entertainment a few days ago to personally invite and ask Heejin if she would like to take the position as their muse and if she would be happy to be sponsored by them.

As a rising idol who just debuted a few months ago, this is definitely something huge for her and there’s absolutely no way she would pass on such an opportunity, especially from a well known company all around the world. 

Heejin’s on her way to the venue which is located outdoors, specifically in a vacant field with a large decorated stage, some barriers and a few food stands on the sides. She’s smiling as she looks out the window, appreciating the clouds and sunlight. Next to her is Haseul, who seems to be paying attention to the road to make sure the driver doesn’t mess the directions up and allow them to be late at such a huge event. 

“The weather’s so nice today don’t you think unnie?” Heejin blissfully asks her manager while taking a sip of her half empty cup of her daily coffee

“Yeah! The sun is really out today. I’m kind of worried that it might be too hot later when you perform though.” Haseul mentions.

Now that her manager talks about her performance later, it does worry her a bit, but because of the many fans who came to the event and not herself. She hopes that the sun doesn’t shine too harshly today since it would be great if the programs flowed smoothly with no one fainting out of nowhere.

When they start to get nearer to their destination, she lowers her window so that she can interact with the fansites waiting outside the drop off area. She wants to make their time staying under the sun worth it by giving them fanservice and good photos.

As the vehicle comes to a stop, Haseul quickly goes down with an umbrella to open the door where Heejin will exit and when the idol does, she reveals a green polo top tucked into a white skater skirt along with white long socks and a pair of converse

She smiles and waves to the fans and fansites gathered at the area. She scans the crowd and notices a familiar girl standing out because of her long red hair.

Heejin’s thrilled as she sees Hyunjin taking a burst of photos. She directly looks at the girl’s camera, way longer than the others, and strikes different poses for her.

_ Does this make you feel a bit special now, Hyunjin?  _ She attempts to ask the girl through her brown eyes. 

The moment Hyunjin puts down her camera for a short second, she notices that she’s already sweating before the afternoon sun. She carefully examines the other people beside the redhead and they are starting to look haggard as well.

She finally makes her away toward the waiting tent for her fellow muses, leaving the crowd’s sight. She begins to worry about their health since they’re packed under the heat.

She turns to her manager who’s currently behind her, shading her with an umbrella. “Unnie! Is it possible to give out water?” She politely asks the older woman. 

“Oh! I can do that if you want Heej—“ Haseul offers but gets cut off by the brunette.

“No, no it’s fine! I want to do it!” Heejin speaks quickly and excitedly without stumbling over her words. Haseul is a little taken aback by how worked up the brunette is but thankfully she doesn’t question why.

Haseul leaves her for a while so she can buy a box of water bottles in a nearby convenience store just around the corner that Heejin can distribute later on. 

If she has to be honest, of course she’s genuinely concerned but behind all that, she wants to get to know her fansite and textmate. Yesterday, she found it somewhat entertaining and thrilling to be able to talk to a fan without their knowledge that their dreams are being fulfilled. She even started a vlive just because she knows how much of a fan Hyunjin is and decided to brighten up her night a little.

15 minutes have passed and Haseul as well as one of her body guards are back with what she has been waiting for. “Let’s go?” The manager says as she waits for the idol’s signal. Heejin gives her a nod of agreement and proceeds to the attendees.

“Hello everyone!” Heejin greets the crowd once again, full of energy. “It’s gonna be really hot today and you guys might get thirsty later on, so I got you all some cold water to beat the heat” she continues as she reveals the boxes being held behind her.

A sweet loud cheer comes out of their mouths and Heejin slowly hands out one bottle after another herself while being closely watched by Haseul and her bodyguard. 

When she gives out a bottle, she realizes those familiar shaky hands receiving it. She looks up gradually to see Hyunjin, wearing a navy blue shirt and black shorts in front of her, giving an innocent smile and a soft thank you in return. 

_ Who really is she in real life? _ She thinks to herself after seeing the sweet and awkward girl once again. 

As she moves on to the following people, she cannot stop the curiosity running in her head. She finds her fansite quite interesting to say the least and that makes her want to find out more about Hyunjin.

Maybe this time, it’s Heejin’s time to get closer to her.

  
  


***

  
  


Hyunjin was quick to reach the front row barrier of the audience since there are tons of fans present, not just within Heejin’s fandom but also from other special guests like Red Velvet.

She takes her camera to do some testing before the actual performances start in case she needs to adjust her settings. As a perfectionist for pictures, she only wants to provide the best, plus she always considers the possibility that Heejin will see her work sometime in the future.

Since the event will officially begin in a couple minutes, more people coming from the food stands are starting to fill up the audience, putting them in a tighter squeeze compared to earlier. 

As everyone settles down, an enthusiastic emcee comes out from backstage, following the same green and white theme for his attire. He attempts to set the bar of energy high throughout the whole show by hyping the crowd.

Hyunjin doesn’t really pay attention to the man speaking in front of her but not to the point she’s disrespecting him. She’s just busy preparing her camera and angle shots for the next segment which happens to be Heejin as the opening act. While she’s minding her own business, she gets an elbow out of nowhere.

_ “Ouch! What the fu—? “ _ She swears unintentionally.

She follows the source of the strike and gives a dirty look to a fellow male fansite next to her but she notices something odd about him. Not only is he wearing a damn hoodie under this weather but he appears to be someone around his thirties who doesn’t know how to groom himself. 

The sudden noisy cheer of the audience brings the redhead’s attention back immediately and she turns towards the stage to find herself looking at the familiar goddess, Jeon Heejin.

Hyunjin is awestruck for a split second and she forgets why she’s even here. The way the sun shines on her wavy brunette hair all the way down to her shoulders, the way her eyes sparkle every time she sees her fans, the way her smile is bright enough to light the world, and lastly how she’s just perfect the way she is.

Heejin is currently talking to the emcee, most probably about Sprite, but Hyunjin’s world turns silent and she just admires the beauty of the idol. 

_ Wow, how I wish she would look at me too.  _ Hyunjin says to herself while diving deep into her imagination where she sees her idol looking directly at her.

_ Wait.. hold up. Oh my god!  _

She blinks multiple times to realize that scene isn’t playing in her imagination. Heejin  _ is _ looking at her. She snaps back and swiftly grabs her camera to take amazing photos of the brunette especially as she's about to sing.

While she’s capturing every second of her performance, she’s also appreciating every move she executes well, particularly her unbelievable stage presence and entertaining fanservice. She definitely doesn’t want to miss any part of it. 

As they’re approaching the chorus, Heejin walks toward the stage near Hyunjin’s area and bends down on a sitting position as she sings. The redhead is shaking but that won’t stop her from doing her job. However, the man beside her is really about ruining her whole mood since they’re cramped up at the barrier and he makes it a whole lot worse by pushing and elbowing so much that she doesn’t know if it’s by accident at this point.

The two fansites continue taking clicks since it’s a good opportunity to have Heejin a few feet away. One thing to know about the idol is that her close up shots never disappoint, no matter what angle they’re taken from.

As Heejin stands up and goes back to her position to dance the chorus along with the back up dancers behind her, Hyunjin glances at the man and notices the pictures he took.

The girl is certainly pissed now and this is not just disrespectful to Heejin herself but all women in general. This guy’s a total pervert! Having the guts to take pictures of the brunette in inappropriate angles when she was bending down to interact with the fans is disgusting.

Hyunjin may be busy as of the moment but she  _ absolutely _ , in  _ no way,  _ will tolerate this pervert any longer. She will do anything to protect Heejin against people like him.

“Yo, what the hell is wrong with you? Delete those pics you fucking pervert!” Hyunjin firmly commands him and at the same time pushes his hand holding the camera to get his attention.

“Go mind your  _ fucking  _ business” The man retorts while brushing off Hyunjin’s hand on him. 

“You really like the sound of jail don’t you? I’m giving you five fucking seconds to delete those photos. Five, Four—“ Hyunjin counts down, clenching her fist as hard as she gets nearer to one.

“ _ Fuck off, crazy bitch! _ ” The disgusting fansite refuses and starts to raise his voice, catching a bit of attention from the people surrounding them.

“—One. That’s it.” Hyunjin mumbles, only letting her voice be audible to herself. She’s had enough of this guy and she fails to remind herself where she is and who’s around her. 

She grasps the pervert’s camera with a single hand and throws it on the ground with all her strength. She’s breathing heavily because of how much her blood is boiling. 

The man returns one of the deadliest stares she has ever seen and looks as though he’s about to throw a punch but the security comes at the right time to take control of the situation.

“Sir! She broke my camera!” The pervert defends himself and makes Hyunjin seem like the bad guy between the both of them.

The redhead is speechless. She  _ fucking _ hates this man. She already dislikes men, but this one is way out of the system. If there was a word more intense than ‘hate’, she would use it right now “Sir! Hear me out, he took—“ The girl gets cut off when the security in control speaks up

“Ma’am I need you to come with me.” The buff man talks in a strict tone as he tries to gently pull Hyunjin away from her position.

“But I didn—“ she tries to continue her explanation but the guard doesn’t let her as he starts escorting her out.

As she’s getting dragged away slowly, she gives the pervert a piercing stare as well but soon after, her tough exterior cracks.  _ Fuck _ ! she swears loudly in her head.

Hyunjin’s eyes begin to well up. No, not because she’s missing the rest of the performance and not because she doesn’t have the amount of photos she expects to have but because she sees Heejin’s eyes staring right at her

She’s still performing on stage like a complete professional but this time, the sparkle in her chocolate brown eyes is completely gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end of the chapter! I hope you guys bear with me with how long the updates take huhu :< and as always, please show your support by leaving your reactions! Thank you for reading <3
> 
> Twitter: @stanzbl  
> CuriousCat: curiouscat.me/stanzbl


	4. See You Soon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since you guys have been really supportive *BAM* here's another chapter for all of you! <3 (also since the intro chapters are done, I guess things will start to pace up from here :D ENJOY EVERYONEEE!!
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

Is the world too cruel or does it just always side with men? That’s the exact thought that runs through Hyunjin's head. Maybe the world has just been too cruel to  _ her _ these past few weeks, because it sure doesn’t seem to be as amazing and wonderful as she had hoped it to be. 

Instead of the pervert being the one who got escorted out of the venue, the security decided to take her out during Jeon Heejin’s performance, which was the  _ absolute _ definition of cruel. She couldn’t do anything else but hear the voice of her favorite idol fade out from a distance and the only option she had left was to leave.

So she drives at a high speed, making her way to the cafe. She’s planning to stuff all the bread they can offer her in her mouth in order to eat her stress away, even though she knows she shouldn’t. It’ll be bad for her to eat that much carbs in one go, especially since she has to get fit before tryouts, but as of now she doesn’t care what it’ll do to her.

She parks her car perfectly with only a single try, slamming her door the moment she gets down and marching into the cafe.

“ **_Hyun, you’re here!_ ** ” Chuu says with her usual energetic voice, but the redhead just passes by without even acknowledging her presence.

“Hand me all the bread you have right now. I need it,  _ badly _ . “ Hyunjin desperately demands as she puts both of her hands on the counter. Her best friend Yerim moves swiftly to grab all the bread she can fit on the biggest plate she can find in the cafe.

Since this isn’t the first time Hyunjin behaves this way, Yerim knows exactly what to do in this type of situation. She understands the redhead the best out of anyone in the world. To her, this is merely an unspoken protocol within their friendship that only them would be aware of.

“Wait, why does this look like a holdup?” Chuu comments as she watches the employee serve Hyunjin a variety of bread on a tray and exchanges it with the redhead’s black credit card. The redhead simply walks toward a corner seat as soon as she gets her food, without speaking one single word and without even taking her card back. 

Jungeun joins in the scene; she was originally planning to greet Hyunjin, but just like Jiwoo she doesn’t even get one look from the girl. “I-Is she okay?” The co-owner asks, concerned about Hyunjin’s well-being.

“I’ll ask her what happened later but for now I’ll leave her alone with her bread.” Yerim guarantees Jungeun.

“No.” Chuu grumbles in a low voice that catches their attention. “What  _ we’re _ gonna do is leave with her card and make a run for it!”

Yerim and Jungeun look at each other while silently judging their workmate, asking themselves why they even expected something serious from the girl. “Jiwoo…” her best friend says in a concerned tone.

“Fine.  _ I _ will leave with her card and  _ you guys _ can stay—“ Chuu declares her plan as she waves the limitless piece of plastic around the air, just for it to be snatched by Jungeun who then hands it over to Yerim. “ **_hey!_ ** ” 

“Maybe you should check up on her right now...” they all turn their heads to Hyunjin who is aggressively munching on food while staring at her phone. “...and go return this before  _ Jiwoo  _ over here actually runs off. I can handle the counter, don’t worry.” Jungeun reassures Yerim who follows what she says without thinking twice.

While the three friends are bickering, Hyunjin is debating whether to text Barf Face or not. She’s wondering if her offer still stands or if she just said that so it'll be less awkward between them. In all honesty, all she wants to do is pour her emotions out by ranting to someone. However, the only person she can do that with is the woman safekeeping her phone.

_ Would it be embarrassing to send a text?  _ She asks herself. When she was still infuriated and annoyed by her, the thought of building a friendship with the stranger hadn’t even crossed her mind, but now she’s starting to seriously take it into consideration. 

Maybe she does need a friend to fangirl with about Jeon Heejin or maybe she just wants to rant about everything she’s been keeping inside. It doesn’t really matter which it is, because in the end she still manages to gather up some courage to send the girl a text.

**Hyunjin:** I hope your offer still stands because guess what?

**Hyunjin:** I got fucking kicked out the Sprite event for protecting Heejin

**Hyunjin:** AND IT ISN’T EVEN MY FAULT

**Hyunjin** : I'M SO PISSED LIKE WTF

**Hyunjin:** THE WORLD HATES ME SMH

**Hyunjin:** AND WHAT’S WORSE IS THAT I KNOW HEEJIN SAW IT HAPPEN 

**Hyunjin:** SHE PROBABLY THINKS I’M A FUCKING WARFREAK OR SOMETHING

**Hyunjin:** This is so fucked up ugh

Hyunjin is about to spam even more messages to the woman, but her flow gets interrupted when Yerim sits on the seat across from her and starts to talk. “Spill. What’s wrong Hyun?” Her best friend goes straight to the point. 

There’s a short pause that occurs as they stare at each other, but it ends when the redhead moves to flip her phone down facing the table. Hyunjin knows that Yerim has always been all ears when it comes to her endless ranting. One thing she appreciates about her best friend is that Yerim is willing to listen to her no matter how shallow her feelings may seem. 

“Yerim… What do you do when you fuck up?” Hyunjin asks, bouncing her leg up and down while also chewing a big part of a croissant aggressively. Her eyes show that they are in a desperate search of an answer, and Yerim can obviously tell how stressed the girl is by just looking at her face.

“I cry.” the purple-haired girl gives a straightforward reply. Although that is a pretty accurate description of how sensitive she is, that’s not the answer Hyunjin is looking for. However, she’s actually very close to doing so after everything that just happened. “Why? How did you fuck up this time?” 

“I was—  _ wait _ ... What do you mean ‘ _ this time _ ’?!” Hyunjin swallows the large chunk of bread down her throat so she can complain. “Ugh it doesn’t matter. I just need your advice right now.” She crosses her arms with dead serious eyes.

“Well, you have to at least tell me  _ something _ Hyun.” Yerim says firmly as she leans back on the chair, crossing her arms as well. 

She may have been a bit harsh towards her, but the worker is right. Hyunjin does need to tell her what’s bothering her so Yerim can comfort her even more. The problem is that too much information will expose her alter ego, too little will make her suspicious, so she has to be very cautious with her words. Luckily for Hyunjin, Yerim has never pushed her to share too much up to the point where she’s uncomfortable. She tries to keep her composure before starting to speak once more. 

“ _ Well,  _ what would you do if you ended up upsetting someone  _ especially _ when they don’t know the whole story?” Hyunjin‘s words come out pugnacious but Yerim knows that she doesn’t mean it that way.

“First of all, that would make them judgemental…” Yerim raises her index finger as she speaks out her thoughts. “... _ but _ if I were you, I would explain what happened and maybe treat them with food as an apology gift?”

_ “ _ That’s so you, Yerim.” Hyunjin admits to the girl. It’s just that everytime her friend thinks she did something wrong, she would cling onto her arm and offer food until she isn’t mad anymore. “And speaking of food, you still owe me  _ hmph!”  _ She reminds her best friend of the promise she made as she grabs another piece of bread from her plate and bites a large chunk of it.

Yerim gives a shocked and slightly offended look. “I don’t think we ever agreed on a deadline here.” she mentions to the girl, who seems to roll her eyes to the side. “Anyways, you don’t necessarily have to give them a gift but I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a little of that money of yours.” 

Hyunjin somehow feels attacked that Yerim just made her feel like a greedy person who doesn’t make much of an effort when apologizing, but her best friend seems to be onto something and a brilliant plan suddenly pops in her head. “Yerim, you’re right.” Hyunjin stands up abruptly startling the other girl, who stands up too as a reflex. “Thanks for the idea!” She says as she starts to briskly walk to the cafe doors. 

“ **_Hyun! Wait!_ ** ” Yerim shouts as she catches up to her. Hyunjin turns around and sees the employee going through her pockets. “Are you really gonna forget this?” She says, handing Hyunjin’s credit card back. The redhead thanks her again then takes it immediately as if she was rushing for something.

Hyunjin suddenly feels a little better from the short conversation she’s had with Yerim. It may not be much but it was everything she needed. It gave her an answer. 

_ Gifts to Jeon Heejin? That sounds like a plan. _

She’s a fansite after all and once in a while fansites do send things over to the company, especially after collecting donations. However, Hyunjin is not like the rest, she doesn’t need to gather anything because her wallet won't make a dent on her bank account. If she wanted to spend it on her favorite celebrity, she  _ obviously _ would be willing to do that without second guessing.

She gets in her car and connects to the aux cord while buckling her seatbelt. Right now, she’s hoping Heejin actually doesn't find her creepy after all this. She’s holding on to the chance that she reads her apology, even though she’s aware of how busy the brunette is. 

Her day surely started in the worst way possible but Hyunjin isn’t the type to let anything else ruin it even more. One bad incident is enough and another one would definitely make her lose her mind. It may not be a big deal for the celebrity, but it is for her, so all she can do for now is hope for the better.

  
  


***

  
  


_ The show must go on. _

Heejin reminds herself as she’s blinded by the flashing lights of the cameras in front of her, also trying to glance at the fansite who is being dragged by the arm outside of the venue.

Although she can’t keep her eyes off what's happening, her professionalism as an artist gets the better of her. She manages to smile her way until the end of her performance period without a sweat. When she’s finally out of sight from the audience, she allows herself to show her true feelings. 

_ What is going on? _ she asks under her breath in utter confusion. As she attempts to walk around to find out on her own, Haseul approaches her from a distance with a wide smile on her face.

“Unnie! What happened out there?” Heejin questions the woman, slightly in demand of an answer, but it doesn’t seem to get across Haseul that way.

“You tell me! You performed so well today! I’m so proud of you!” the manager exclaims while giving small claps for the girl.

“No  _ I mean _ , I saw one of my fansites get escorted out while I was performing.” She explains with a serious tone in her voice.

“Oh that was your fansite?  _ What a shame. _ I don’t know what exactly happened but it seemed like she smashed someone’s camera.” Haseul narrates her knowledge behind the issue.

Heejin pays close attention as her manager speaks, getting even more concerned about Hyunjin than the man who got his camera broken. Sure, what she did may not be right, but Heejin’s instincts tell her that the redhead wouldn’t do anything  _ that _ crazy without a valid reason.

For now, she’s just bothered by the thought of what Hyunjin may be feeling. She was actually excited to have little interactions to make the fansite’s dream come true without her knowing, but things took an unexpected turn today. She can just imagine how hurt and angry that girl must be. 

They walk back as Haseul leads her to the waiting tent once more so Heejin can have a short break before she returns to the stage with other celebrities. As the brunette rests on a chair, she grabs her purse to find her phone, debating whether she should text her fansite. However, doing the first move isn’t a problem anymore when she sees several notifications from the redhead.

Heejin can feel how devastated Hyunjin is just from reading the first few messages that she sent earlier. Something really must’ve happened to Hyunjin for her to be acting like this and by the way that her fansite is texting, it feels like she’s on the edge of rage-quitting this hobby of hers.

The idol tries to think of an approach to comfort her. She pretends to be clueless, though there is a part of her that hopes that Hyunjin isn’t going to disappoint her when she finds out what really happened.

**Barf Face:** ARE YOU OKAY?

**Barf Face:** wait sorry that’s a dumb question ofc you aren’t 

**Barf Face:** I’m sorry to hear that :((

**Barf Face:** What happened?

**Barf Face:** Protect Heejin from what exactly??

**Barf Face:** Trust me, she won’t think you’re a warfreak

**Barf Face:** cuz she personally told me ya know? ;D

**Barf Face:** but seriously

**Barf Face:** tell me what happened I’m curious :<

Heejin replies carefully but throws all the questions she wants answered and at the same time, showing that she’s concerned about the girl. She stares at her phone for quite some time anticipating a text back from the redhead, but nothing appears. 

She knows that her break is about to end when she sees Haseul making her way towards her. “Is it time?” Heejin pouts, not because she doesn’t want to perform but because time has flown by too fast waiting for the other girl.

The manager gives her a nod and signals her to stand up. Heejin checks her phone for the last time before putting it back in her bag, and just like a few minutes ago, there aren’t any new notifications.

Haseul escorts her back to the side of the stage and the idol takes a peek on the small gap, seeing and sees a man holding the pieces of his broken camera in his hands. 

_ Why was she protecting me from him? _ Somehow, she can’t piece everything together, especially the part where her anger leads her to smash a camera.  _ What was she so angry for?  _ She adds thought after thought in her head but for some reason, she feels the need to avoid him. 

Maybe this time, she’ll put her trust on Hyunjin.

  
  


***

  
  


It’s been a day after the Sprite event, and there’s still no sign from the fansite ever since yesterday. Heejin is currently brewing her coffee in a machine, taking her time before heading to the company. 

She’s wearing her specs and her long red checkered pajama pants paired with a loose t-shirt while also having her hair tied into a messy bun. She’s waiting for her daily dose of caffeine when her phone rings and echoes throughout her apartment.

_ Hyunjin? _

She rushes to her phone which is on the other side of the room and picks it up just to be disappointed: it’s Sooyoung who’s making the phone call. She doesn’t know why the redhead is the first person to pop in her head; maybe it’s because she’s been expecting a reply for a day now?

“Yes, hello? What’s up?” Heejin asks as she’s slowly walking back to the coffee maker while placing the device between her ear and her shoulder.

“Come to the company  _ right now!”  _ Sooyoung exclaims loudly, making the brunette react in pain after her right ear turns temporarily deaf.

“But I don’t have work ‘till later—?” Heejin informs her.

“ _ Did I stutter _ ? See you in a few.” Her best friend cuts her off immediately and ends the call, leaving no choice for Heejin but to go and find out.

_ What the hell was that?  _ she mumbles to herself. She actually had a plan set for herself this morning since she thought she had some free time to watch anime but not today, as it seems.

She proceeds to pour herself a cup of coffee and brings it with her to the walking closet. She swallows a large gulp and puts it on top of her drawer so she can grab pieces of clothing that are easy to change into.

Before leaving, she chugs down her coffee and takes her bucket hat as well as her mask. She doesn’t understand why she was commanded to come early but she knows it isn’t  _ that _ serious. If that was the case then Haseul or Viian Wong would have contacted her directly.

When Heejin finally reaches the company’s front she feels tired like crazy from the fastest walk she’s ever done.

Luckily, the apartment building where most of the idols live is constructed nearby ViVi Entertainment for their convenience. 

She removes one garter from her ear so she can catch her breath more easily but as she is recovering, a pair of hands wrap around her waist from behind. 

_ Fuck!  _ She cusses internally. Her heart is about to explode from panicking but she hears a familiar burst of laughter. She turns around as soon as the arms on her body untangle and she sees Yeojin making fun of her reaction.

“ **You should’ve seen your face!”** the tiny blonde chortles as she points at the girl.

“ _ What the fuck Yeojin, _ don’t scare me like that.” the brunette grumbles for a second as she slowly calms down. “Why are you even here?” she asks, following behind the blonde as they enter the company. 

“Well, the hot CEO said I’m allowed to be here didn’t she? Plus, Chae said she was craving for boba so I bought some.” Yeojin explains to the idol while smiling widely as she shows her plastic bag containing 3 cups of boba. 

”Wow! That’s so kind of you.. . ” Heejin teases sarcastically as they enter the elevator. She knows how the younger girl usually either only buys food for herself or gets free treats from her friends, so this is new for her.

“Right? Hyejoo bribed me with some money and she said I could keep the change if I bought it for them, well for Chae at least.” Yeojin emphasizes the last part as she talks about her friend. 

Heejin’s heart feels happy upon realizing how whipped Sooyoung’s little sister is by the small things she does for her fellow trainee (or can she say, secret girlfriend?)

Heejin walks next to Yeojin after they get off the lift. They stop in front of the practice room for trainees and the blonde busts the door without any hesitation, not even afraid if there are trainee’s inside who are busy dancing. 

“ **I’m back bitches! I got us the— What the fuck are you guys doing?!”** the shorter girl yells at the other two. The brunette redirects her gaze towards what’s going on inside the practice room and immediately understands where Yeojin’s confusion is coming from. 

There they are staring at Hyejoo carrying Chaewon behind her back by the legs and waist with her strong arms while spinning her crazily in a counterclockwise motion. The two trainees stop when they notice their short friend holding the plastic bag containing their favorite milk tea brand. 

Hyejoo drops her significant other and tries to get a head start on the way to Yeojin. They both fail to keep their balance as their world spins around but the raven-haired girl gets to the shorter blonde first.

Yeojin opens the plastic bag and lets Hyejoo grab both of their drinks and raises it high up in the air before Chaewon reaches them. “Come on Chae.. All you need to do is jump a  _ little _ higher” the taller trainee teases while the blonde attempts to bring the girl lower by dragging her shoulder down. 

As the two teens go about in their own world, completely disregarding the others in the room. Yeojin pops in the straw into her drink like she’s used to seeing her friends act this way. Chaewon is attempting to tickle Hyejoo but it doesn’t seem to be working, no matter how hard she tries. 

Heejin’s lips curl into a smile thinking of how happily in love they are, hoping they actually last unlike the other trainees she has seen and been with. All her memories of her past days in the company flash before her eyes for a split moment, especially memories of one person in particular. She used to have the same fun just like Hyejoo and Chaewon; the same bond, the same feeling, the same way to look at each other. 

The only difference between the teenagers and Heejin is that she wasn’t sure if her fellow ex-trainee felt the same way as she did and so everything was left as a mystery when they both went separate ways. Until this day, she finds herself thinking at times what could’ve happened if she confessed her feelings to Ryujiin. As Heejin stares at the awfully familiar scene inside of the room, her reminiscing is interrupted by someone trying to talk to her.

“Hey, you’re finally here!” 

Heejin and Yeojin turn their head simultaneously to where the voice is coming from and see Sooyoung who is wearing a cap on her head and comfortable clothes.

“What are you guys looking at over there?” She asks and joins in to get a peek inside. Her mouth drops at the scene and she looks down to face the short teenager. “Let me fix this for you Yeojin, I’m here to end your suffering.” She tells her while giving her a pat on the back and proceeds to go towards her little sister.

“Hyejoo!” She says sternly, making sure her presence is acknowledged. “You know you guys aren’t allowed to have  _ that _ so I’ll be taking it before anyone sees. You’ll thank me later.” Sooyoung informs them while snatching the two drinks away from the hands of Hyejoo effortlessly unlike Chaewon.

Before the younger sibling gets to speak up, Sooyoung walks away immediately and hands one drink to Heejin, grabbing her arm to drag her away to where they should originally be.

“Yeah uhh... Hyejoo I’m still keeping the change, bye!” Yeojin mutters and runs away quickly to follow the two celebrities.

“ **_Bring your ass back here! Yeojin!”_ ** Hyejoo shouts angrily as she comforts Chaewon who’s standing next to her.

  
  


***

  
  


Heejin and Sooyoung have been walking past multiple corridors around the company and the brunette still has no idea where her best friend is taking her, but she doesn’t ask since they’re just in the building anyways. “Sooyoung, since when were trainees restricted from food.. . ?” Heejin breaks the silence between them while she takes a sip at one of the drinks they stole from Hyejoo.

“They aren’t.” the taller woman tells her bluntly as she stabs the straw on the drink and proceeds to enjoy the sweet taste of it on her tongue.

Heejin pauses and removes her grip from Sooyoung’s hand. “Then why’d you take their drinks away?” she questions in a serious tone.

The other idol stops walking and drinking as well to face the girl before replying. “I was just craving for boba, see I even got one for you too.”

“B-But Chaewon craved for it too.” she continues to walk as she talks while pouting with her brown puppy eyes, feeling guilty of drinking the beverage. She feels bad for the two trainees, especially the blonde who was clearly excited the moment she saw Yeojin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go treat her later. I don’t know about my sister though, she used to hate boba..” the woman promises as they get closer to their destination.

“Sooyoung...” Heejin scolds her to do the same for her sister.

“Yes, okay ma’am, Hyejoo too.” The idol finally gives in and accepts the brunette’s request. “Anyways we’re here.” Heejin takes a look and recognizes the familiar door they’re standing in front of, it’s her personal music room. 

What’s nice being under ViVi Entertainment is that once a trainee has debuted, they get their own personal room as a creative workspace for composing music and more. However, she’s still curious as to why Sooyoung asked her to come here earlier even though she would get to see it later. “Huh? Why’d you bring me here?” 

“Go see for yourself.” Sooyoung avoids her question and gestures with her head, telling Heejin to go in. The brunette takes a few steps toward her friend who’s next to the door and twists the knob to open it. The first thing she would usually see is her slick glass table but this time, it isn’t empty. She spots multiple gifts all wrapped in black paper along with neatly tied golden ribbons around them. 

“ **_Woah! I didn’t know it’s your birthday Heejin-unnie!”_ ** the blonde human megaphone exclaims as she reappears behind them all of a sudden and steps in the room before Heejin does.

“Yeojin, it isn’t my birthday...” Heejin corrects the small girl while the two idols enter as well.

**_“Then what’s with all these presents_ ** _.”  _ Yeojin talks fast, showing how excited she is to find out even though those aren’t for her. “ **_Well? Open it unnie! I wanna see what’s inside!_ ** **”**

Heejin kneels down on the floor, takes a close look at her gifts and reads the tiny words written on the ribbons. 

_ ♡ My Heekki ♡ _

_ Hyunjin gave me these? _ She thinks to herself, confused as to why she sent these over to the company randomly.  _ Is it because of yesterday? _ Her thoughts never seem to end, trying to piece everything together to make sense of the situation.

“There’s a yellow envelope that came with it too but we wanted you to read it first.” Sooyoung sits on the soft couch and points to the envelope that was hidden behind the gifts.

Heejin moves the present in order to reach for it and just like before, there’s wax sealing it as well. She slowly and carefully opens it so the paper doesn’t rip and takes out the handwritten letter inside.

_ “To Jeon Heejin, _

_ I want to start this off by apologizing for what happened the other day during your performance. I’m pretty sure you saw my violent behavior towards another one of your fansites and I hope you’re willing to give me a chance to explain. _

_ To summarize, I saw him acting strangely when you came nearer to the audience. Us being fansites, we surely work hard to produce amazing photos for you and everyone to see but yesterday, he was taking inappropriate pictures in certain angles. As a woman just like you, I cannot tolerate seeing another woman, whether it be an idol or not, objectified by men.  _

_ It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to stay during your performance but I still stand by my promise to protect you and support you in the future! Even though my main intention was to write this letter, I know you may feel confused right now as to why I sent presents to you out of nowhere. It was because there was no other way I could personally reach out to you if I only gave a letter so I hope you enjoy these presents I bought you! _

_ Sincerely, Hyunjin (My Heekki)” _

Heejin finishes reading and she doesn’t know whether to feel soft because of what Hyunjin did for her or scared because of the male fansite she fought with but if there’s one things she’s sure of, it’s that the redhead has nothing to be sorry about and that she should be the one who owes her a letter and a present.

For Hyunjin to be the first one to have the courage to reach out to an idol as well as succeeding to do so, she’s pretty impressed. It also allows her to connect the dots and understand what happened yesterday. Through this letter, she begins to appreciate the redhead even more. She actually never expected her to be so formal, though she does admit that Hyunjin never fails to surprise her with her personality every time. 

“So, who’s it from?” Sooyoung asks when she sees Heejin putting back the letter inside the casing. The brunette pauses for a moment and turns to her best friend who’s waiting for an answer but Yeojin’s voice overpowers hers.

_ “Who cares? _ Let’s see what’s inside!” The blonde disregards Sooyoung’s question and hops over behind Heejin, placing her hands on her shoulders since she cannot contain her excitement any longer.

“I-I’ll explain later...” Heejin tells Sooyoung, silently begging for her to wait with her eyes since Yeojin won’t stop rocking her shoulders until she opens it. 

As they all look in anticipation, Heejin proceeds to take the first gift starting from the far left, because it seems kind of heavy when she holds it with both of her hands. She slowly unties the ribbon and rips apart the neatly wrapped covering. Before she even gets to react, the blonde girl next to her screams in excitement. “They got you the newest edition of the iPad Pro along with a  _ motherfucking _ Apple Pencil?!” 

Heejin’s hand massages her poor ears to relieve them from the ringing sound of Yeojin’s loud voice to then set the devices on the side and take another gift. This time it’s much smaller and lighter compared to the previous one. She repeats the same procedure as earlier and gets a glimpse of what seems like a blue box. She removes the wrapper completely and reads out  _ Swarovski _ . Heejin takes the lid off the box and sees a thin gold and aesthetically pleasing charm bracelet with small rabbits that are encrusted with the famous crystals. 

“That’s so pretty?! What the fuck Heej?” Sooyoung is captivated by the beautiful yet simple accessory. “Gosh. I want one too! I'm gonna search it up.” She exclaims and tries to search for a similar bracelet in the brand’s website.

“ _ Damn… _ ” Yeojin drops her jaw wide open but still manages to comment about what the brunette has received.

“Wha— It’s not on the official website…” The older woman is shocked when she finds out that her best friend’s bracelet is custom made.

Heejin stays silent despite all the comments being thrown at her right now. The other two aren’t the only ones surprised. Honestly, the brunette is still processing how Hyunjin managed to spend this much and she’s just at the second gift. She definitely did not expect any of this coming.

She opens the rest of the gifts and apparently, she now owns a Chanel double flap bag with a graffiti newspaper print which they later find out to be a limited edition piece as well as a pair of shades from the recent collaboration of Jennie and Gentle Monster.

“And  _ you’re  _ telling me to believe it ain’t your birthday unnie? It’s basically  _ fucking  _ Christmas at this point.” the teenager says in disbelief as she loses her mind at the sight of all these expensive things laying in front of her. 

“Well, do you want to be an idol too, Yeojin?” Sooyoung asks her as she drinks the rest of her boba drink until it’s empty.

“No, I want to be a  _ damn _ sugar baby” Yeojin responds firmly and with a whole lot of conviction behind her words, making the older woman choke on a pearl. 

Heejin rushes to her friend and pats her back harshly as she coughs from Yeojin’s statement, while the blonde feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She grasps it to see a text message from Hyejoo.

**Watermelon Thief:** If you're with my sister please tell her to go fuck herself

 **Watermelon Thief:** Chae is fucking crying over her boba 

“You’re in fucking trouble unnie... Hyejoo is gonna beat the crap outta you.” Yeojin informs the two girls as she shows her screen to them.

“For once I’m actually scared for you Soo...” Heejin sides with the blonde. “I’m with her on this one.” She points at the phone.

“Tell her to fix their things immediately after they’re done. We’ll all go for some boba and churros. My treat.” Sooyoung speaks as she leans her back to the couch.

  
  


***

  
  


_ Chicas? Fight! Fight! Fight!  _

Everyone chants with all their remaining energy while they raise their hands up in the air. The 3-hour training session has finally come to an end and the girls disperse into their separate ways.

Hyunjin heads toward the changing room first as she carries her duffle bag on her shoulder. The moment she steps in, she immediately sees her tomato red face and slightly messy ponytailed hair through the reflection in the huge mirror on the wall. 

She takes her time to freshen up by washing her face as well as changing into dry clothes and slides. As she fixes her appearance, the redhead is starting to feel the exhaustion and hunger creeping to the rest of her upper body. 

Honestly, she hasn’t gotten much rest ever since yesterday since she’s been too busy with her shopping spree and gift wrapping for the apology she thinks she owes. Before she drove to training this afternoon, she had to drop it off at ViVi Entertainment, hoping they would take it in for Heejin to see.

Hyunjin comes out after a while to refill her water jug with the dispenser outside of the changing rooms, but she stops halfway when she gets called over by her coach who is sitting by the bleachers. “ _ Psst _ Hyunjin! Come here for a sec!” 

The football player jogs to her superior straight away and listens attentively. “Please sit down, let’s have a chat.” The ash blonde smiles at her as she pats on the seat next to her and the redhead follows the instructions she’s given.

“So I heard you’re planning to try-out this year.” Jeongyeon mentions as she pulls off a proud smile.

Hyunjin nods her head to confirm the fact. “Hmm yeah.. How’d you know?” she asks out of curiosity and continues to drink her half-filled bottle.

“Well, Chaeyoung tells me a lot of things” the coach responds as they both turn their heads to the girl with the short pink hair annoying her teammate Yuna. 

Yoo Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon’s daughter and captain of the team. She isn’t in that position because she’s the coach’s child but because she’s one of the few people chosen for the women’s national team just like her mother decades ago.

“Since the first try-out is coming up real soon you have to prepare for it real hard, but seeing you train, I don’t have to worry about that.” The woman reassures her by placing her hand on the player’s shoulder. “I know you can do it!”

“I really hope so, coach!” Hyunjin feels determination run through her veins as Jeongyeon motivates her by showering her with praises.

The wholesome moment between the two doesn’t last when a phone call interrupts them. The coach takes it from her pocket to check the caller i.d. “I’m sorry but I have to take this. It’s my wife, Nayeon. Anyways, I’ll make sure to tell Chaeyoung to update you about the try-outs!” The older woman informs her as she stands up.

Hyunjin replies with a thumbs up as Jeongyeon slowly walks away and turns around to answer the call. Afterwards, the redhead proceeds to gather all her belongings and pick up her car keys. She waves goodbye to all her teammates before leaving, then heads to the parking lot.

She hops in her SUV while also throwing her duffle bag to the passenger seat behind her. For a few seconds, she tries to regain some energy so she can drive by closing her eyes and relaxing on the soft seat.

When she thinks she’s ready to go, she feels one thing missing, and that’s music playing in her car. She takes her phone from the beverage holder and sees a post notification from her favorite idol. Of course, as a fan, she instantly checks her Instagram so she can like it.

Once the photo loads, it shows Heejin sitting with her legs crossed on a couch but as she zooms in, she notices it’s definitely all the gifts she sent over this morning; the iPad Pro along with the Apple Pencil, the custom-made charm bracelet, the Chanel bag and the Gentle Monster shades. 

She feels this sudden sense of relief when she thinks of Heejin reading her explanation and apology but she feels even better as she reads the caption.

_ “See you soon 💛” _

Maybe the caption isn’t for her or maybe it is, but one thing is for certain, Hyunjin decides to believe the latter. She’d rather take this as a subtle sign of forgiveness between them. She can’t contain her emotions right now so she switches over to text since she feels the need to talk to someone, but when she opens the application she’s met with several unread messages regarding yesterday. 

**Hyunjin:** hey I’m sorry I didn’t get to reply sooner

The redhead doesn’t really consider herself to be a bad texter, but because of how busy she was for the past two days, she kind of feels bad for leaving the conversation pending. 

**Hyunjin:** Basically, there was an annoying pervert and I broke his camera then I got kicked out

**Hyunjin:** BUT I’M OKAY NOW 

**Hyunjin:** CUZ HEEJIN SAW MY LETTER

 **Hyunjin:** but I’m never forgiving men

Not even a second has passed when she starts to see the three dots appear on the bottom left of her screen. 

**Barf Face:** OOOH a letter?????? >:o

**Hyunjin:** my apology regarding what happened yesterday

**Barf Face:** you have nothing to apologize about!

The redhead disagrees with the woman’s message because she firmly believes that she does owe an apology. When she was on the way to the cafe yesterday, she was contemplating whether what she did was wrong or not. Although she does regret acting too hastily towards the issue which could’ve been handled after the performance, she couldn’t take being elbowed and fought with anymore. Everyone has their own limits and unfortunately, a pervert really crossed hers immediately. 

**Barf Face:** I know Heejin’s lucky to have a fansite like you to protect her! ;)

_ Lucky?  _ Maybe that’s a reach but, she hopes that Heejin is lucky to have a healthy fanbase who would do anything for her. 

**Hyunjin:** wow how would you know?

**Hyunjin:** you must be Jeon Heejin huh?

**Barf Face:** and what if I am?? 

**Hyunjin:** keep dreaming 

**Hyunjin:** there can only be one Jeon Heejin. 

The conversation pauses awkwardly when the redhead sees the typing bubble pop up several times but no actual text gets sent until after a few seconds

**Barf Face:** HAHAHAHA :DD 

**Barf Face:** but I’m glad that you’re okay!

**Hyunjin:** well as long as she’s okay, I’m okay :)

**Barf Face:** you’re so dedicated huh?

What the woman said is true, maybe dedicated is the right word to describe her, but she wouldn’t be this devoted to being a fansite if her favorite idol weren’t this lovable.

**Hyunjin:** she’s just so down-to-earth you know? Huhu

**Hyunjin:** like yesterday, she personally handed us bottled water. :<

**Hyunjin:** she could’ve asked her manager and bodyguard but she chose to do it herself

**Hyunjin:** that’s why she deserves to be protected 

**Hyunjin:** i can’t trust anyone who would ever hate on someone like her

**Hyunjin:** sorry I keep oversharing I’ll stop now

Hyunjin stops herself from typing when she realizes that she’s fangirling too much by spamming compliments about Jeon Heejin. 

**Barf Face:** nooo! It’s okay!!!

**Barf Face:** it’s so sweet of you to say!!

**Barf Face:** I never expected you to be this soft :>

**Hyunjin:** huh?

**Hyunjin:** why not?

Although Hyunjin is known as the tough and strong girl she is, it doesn’t mean she has never been a softie, she just prefers to keep her image as it is. She personally just doesn’t want other people to think of her as someone fragile and vulnerable.

**Barf Face:** I mean you accused me of stealing your phone >:(

**Barf Face:** then you got mad at me because you thought I puked on your phone and your photocard :((

**Hyunjin:** wait I’m so sorry

**Hyunjin:** I should really stop assuming things...I’m just really protective over my belongings

**Barf Face:** don’t worry it’s okay

**Barf Face:** we’re friends now right? :D

_ Friends?  _ It never really crossed Hyunjin’s mind to build a permanent friendship with her textmate but maybe she’s finally found someone to fangirl with secretly.

**Hyunjin:** uh sure?

**Barf Face:** yayy! :DD

**Hyunjin:** btw...about my phone

**Hyunjin:** when can I get it?

The continuous exchange ceases once again but this time it’s longer than before. Hyunjin starts to queue some songs to play as she goes back home while waiting. When she is about to reverse her car out of the parking area, she hears her phone ding.

**Barf Face:** how bout tomorrow? :D

Hyunjin’s lips curve into a smile as she feels some sort of relief when she reads the text. It’s not another unsure answer nor a sorry but rather a particular day. The time has finally come for her to get a hold of her phone again, including her photocard. 

**Hyunjin:** sounds good!

**Hyunjin:** I’ll text where and when to meet up later 

**Hyunjin:** I have to drive back home now

**Hyunjin:** I’ll talk to you later

**Barf Face:** alright! 

**Barf Face:** drive safely 

After the conversation has ended, Hyunjin suddenly has enough energy to drive back home, forgetting about how exhausted her legs are from training. And because of it, her mood is now a whole lot lighter than before.

  
  


***

  
  


The trainees quickly join Sooyoung, Heejin and Yeojin after finishing up their classes for the day so the older idol can treat them. The blonde teenagers are walking ahead of the other three girls as they make their way to the elevators.

“ **I can’t believe you cried over boba!** ” Yeojin makes fun of the trainee along with a loud burst of laughter.  **_“Over boba Chae.”_ **

“G-Get off me.” Chaewon shakes her arm absurdly, struggling to slip her limb out of Yeojin’s tight squeeze. 

Hyejoo sighs deeply as she watches her two friends mess around in front of her. “Since when did you like boba?” a whisper comes in her ear. She turns her head toward her sister, who has an evil grin plastered on her face while she wraps an arm around her shoulder. 

“Ever since.” She says firmly as she pushes her older sister away in an attempt to make the teasing stop.

“Ever since… you liked Chaewon?” Sooyoung continues but makes sure that only three of them can hear it.

Hyejoo’s blood runs from her neck up until her cheeks when she finds herself cornered with her sibling’s words. Sooyoung’s right, but of course she won’t admit that to her even if she already knows. The raven-haired girl shies away and joins in with her friends.

“Love changes people huh?” Heejin mutters, tilting her head after they’re both left behind the teenagers who are already waiting in front of the lifts.

“Tell me about it...” Sooyoung replies as she rolls her eyes to face her best friend as they walk towards the others. 

While they stand by for an incoming lift, Heejin receives a text on her phone. “Well, guess what Soo!”. The older woman shifts her weight and pays attention to what Heejin is about to tell her. “I’ll get to return her phone tomorrow morning!”

“Where are y’all gonna meet up though?” Sooyoung asks. Considering that Heejin’s a well known idol, she obviously can’t just be anywhere in public without at least informing Haseul. 

“In a coffee shop on the other side of the city.” The brunette answers with hints of excitement behind her words. She can’t wait to see the look on Hyunjin’s face the moment she removes her mask, the redhead really doesn’t know what’s coming.

The sound of the elevator door reaching the floor they’re in catches all of their attention as they get ready to get in. The doors slide open and they see Haseul slowly making her way out while her eyes are fixed on her phone. Yeojin hides quickly behind the Ha siblings before her own sister scolds her for being in her workplace again.

“Haseul-unnie!” Heejin exclaims, making the manager look up in her direction.

“Oh I’m here! I didn’t realize haha.” Haseul laughs as she walks out a little bit embarrassed, while Chaewon holds on the open button. 

The rest of the girls step in but this time Heejin is keeping the doors open by pressing on the button. “Do you wanna come?  _ Sooyoung’s gonna get us milk tea and churros.”  _ The idol tempts the manager.

“Excuse me? I’m only treating Chaewon here—“ Sooyoung yelps as she receives a painful pinch on her lower back by none other than Yeojin. 

“I’m sorry guys, I have to pass today. Vivi asked me to help her out with some things, I’m on the way to her office right now.” Haseul apologizes as she backs up gradually with a few steps, also pointing her thumb behind her. It’s unusual for a manager to assist the CEO since she mainly handles Heejin’s schedule, but Haseul can never say no to anyone, especially if it’s Vivi. 

“Aww that’s too bad..” Heejin pouts. “Well maybe next time when—“ the brunette doesn’t finish her sentence when the blonde trainee behind her speaks over her voice.

“Sorry to interrupt but are you guys done yet?” Chaewon isn’t able to keep her mouth shut with the small amount of patience she has when it comes to her free boba.

“S-Sorry!” Heejin blurts an apology with the girl’s sudden comment and retreats her index finger from the button.

“Hahaha you guys have fun! By the way Heejin, don’t forget that you have a photoshoot with Ms. Lalisa Manoban tomorrow!” Haseul informs the idol while she waves the other girls farewell as the doors start to close. 

As Heejin is about to add something to the conversation with Haseul before it shuts, she gets cut off by another blonde hiding behind everyone.  **_“Go get yo hot momma!”_ **

“ **_Yeojin?!”_ ** the manager shouts her sister’s name, but doesn’t have enough time to react when the small gap between the sliding doors disappears. 

Heejin is found silent while resting her head on her hand. She can’t believe she forgot another schedule of hers even though she keeps her own planner at home. Now all she thinks of is how she’s going to tell Hyunjin to wait a bit longer. It’s true she can just let someone hand it over to her fansite, but her debt towards the girl is starting to pile up. She believes that this is the best way to thank Hyunjin, by revealing who she is.

They all reach the lobby and begin to head to their destination. As Sooyoung adjusts her cap along with her mask, Heejin pulls her bucket hat on her head and puts on her mask as well as the shades given to her earlier. Although it might not be enough to cover them completely, it’s enough to lessen the chances of people to approach them while they walk to the shop.

Sooyoung notices her stressed out best friend on the corner of her eye as they stroll behind the loud group of teens. “You know you can just text her that you can’t go tomorrow, right?” She tells Heejin since she can figure why she’s so worried right now.

“ _ Yeah _ but I don’t want to make her upset by pushing it to some other day.” She places her hands on top of her head “She’s been waiting for too long.” She mumbles, almost inaudibly if the older girl weren't paying much attention, but she is.

“Okay well, what time does your photoshoot end?” Sooyoung asks a question first before suggesting a solution. 

“I have to get my hair, nails, and make up done so maybe around 6 to 7  _ p.m?  _ Then I can go home.” Heejin says as she slowly calculates an estimation in her head. Usually, a photoshoot wouldn’t take that long but this isn’t just any other person, this is Lalisa Manoban they’re talking about. She’s one of the most influential women worldwide plus she’s also the owner of a famous magazine brand in Korea. The world has been generous with giving Heejin these kinds of opportunities and she definitely doesn’t want to miss any of them.

“I could drive you to the place if you’re that bothered about it.” The taller woman offers her service to the brunette.

Heejin’s face lights up when she hears those words come out of Sooyoung’s mouth. She suddenly holds on to her hopes of returning Hyunjin’s phone, but before she completely does, she remembers that her friend is just like her, an idol with a packed schedule. “But don’t you have a recording for Fact-In-Star tomorrow? She reminds her fellow labelmate

“Yeah I do, but I think I’ll get to catch up with you since it’s not that far anyways.” Sooyoung attempts to reassure her.

“You sure?” Heejin asks for her confirmation, especially since she doesn’t want Sooyoung to go out of her way just for her silly plans. She may be her best friend, but she respects her time and hard work.

“Heejin, do you want to return the phone or not?” Sooyoung throws the question straightforwardly, making her pause on the sidewalk. 

“I do.” Heejin says without any doubt in her tone.

“Then there goes your answer.” The idol cuts the brunette off. “But you should go ahead and text her if she’s fine with it first.” She continues with her sentence.

“Okay, hold up.” Heejin slows down her pace as she grabs her phone in her bag. She hooks onto Sooyoung’s arm to make sure she doesn’t bump into someone or something while she keeps walking as she thinks of what to say to the redhead.

**Barf Face:** Hey

 **Barf Face:** I’m sorry but is 8:30 _p.m_ okay with you? 

**Barf Face:** Something came up unexpectedly :(

Heejin hopes that Hyunjin doesn’t take this as an excuse to delay everything because she badly wants to make time for the fansite and push through with meeting her tomorrow.

**Hyunjin:** It’s fine

**Hyunjin:** as long as I get my phone

**Barf Face:** I guess I’ll see you tomorrow night then? ;D

“ **_Hurry up slugs!”_ **

Heejin lifts her head involuntarily to the source of the powerful yell and sees the younger girls standing in front of their first stop. Chaewon has her arms crossed while Hyejoo rests her elbow on the girl’s shoulder and Yeojin is gesturing with her head, pointing towards the door. As Sooyoung brisk walks, Heejin looks back at her phone before she follows behind her.

**Hyunjin:** I guess so :))

 **Hyunjin:** see you tomorrow

Heejin’s adrenaline starts to pump through her whole body upon thinking of all the possible scenarios that could happen tomorrow. It’s been fun being treated as a normal person again after a while, but she thinks it’s time to reveal who she truly is and honestly, Hyunjin doesn’t seem to be the type of person to put on a façade just to be liked by her favorite idol. She’s someone who stands by her beliefs and morals, and that’s why Heejin decides to trust her by disclosing her identity.

_ I’ll be seeing you soon Hyunjin. Ready or not, here I come! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tell me what you guys think! I like reading comments or messages from you guys :D 
> 
> PS: Next chapter might be kinda long so please bear with me hihi <3
> 
> Twitter: @stanzbl  
> CuriousCat: curiouscat.me/stanzbl


	5. Heejin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAAAH Hello everyone!! I can't believe this reached 2k+ hits :< I'm very grateful that you guys are enjoying it so far <3 I hope you guys will keep supporting me because this will be a long ride :)
> 
> PS: Stream ViVID - Heejin periodt 
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

**_“Soo, we’re late! Can you go any faster?!”_ **

Heejin yells at her best friend as she panics at all the _where are you?_ messages from Hyunjin. It’s already 9:15 p.m and they were supposed to meet up with the redhead almost an hour ago, but here they are speeding their way to the location of a cafe they’ve never been to.

Sooyoung gasps, taking offense from the brunette’s words. “ **_And who’s fault is that?!”_ ** She shouts back while her eyes are on the road and her foot is anchored to the gas pedal.

They are going so fast that if someone were to see Sooyoung driving right now, they would call the cops for overspeeding at this point. They wouldn’t even believe the person behind the wheel is a celebrity but rather a potential racecar driver conquering the streets. 

**_“You’re the one who wanted to get her chicken.”_ ** the older woman blames Heejin for asking her to go order chicken from their favorite restaurant since the brunette thought they had some time to spare.

“ **_It’s a gift okay?! You never know, she might be starving right now!_ ** ” Heejin continues screaming on top of her lungs as she defends herself.

**_“Well, it’s more like a compensation now, ‘cause — oh! you never know, she might be pissed that you aren’t even there yet!”_ ** Sooyoung sasses back as she takes a turn on her right, finally arriving at their long-awaited destination.

Heejin goes ahead and fixes her disguise while the other parks the car. Though the brunette’s cover is simply her casual wear, which is a flannel above a basic white tank top that is tucked in her denim jeans, she can blend in within the public. All she needs is her trusty cap and mask along with her outfit and she doesn’t need to worry much, especially now that it’s dark out.

“Okay Heej…” Sooyoung looks at the girl as she unbuckles her seat belt “...I’ll go down first and check if the coast is clear for you.” she insists and starts to reach for the car handle. 

“Okay, but aren't you gonna cover up or something? You’re an idol too...” the passenger worries as she looks at the driver’s appearance. She’s wearing a bright hot pink cropped top and with just that alone, she will surely stand out without even trying.

“I’ll be there to distract everyone while you talk to your fansite.” Sooyoung hops down out of her car. “I’m used to being the center of attention anyways. I’ll text you when you can come in.” she overconfidently instructs Heejin and winks at her before she closes the door. Sooyoung leaves her best friend in her car and makes her way inside of the cafe. 

As expected, a few eyes begin to recognize who she is when she hears faint gasps from the customers. She slyly scans the area as she approaches the counter slowly. There aren't many people anymore, maybe it’s because they’re about to close down soon. She sends a quick text to Heejin and puts her phone back in the quilted bag she’s carrying on her shoulder.

“Hello! What may I get you today?” 

Sooyoung immediately looks back up when a woman with long brown hair and bangs asks her for her order, showing her the gummiest smile she has ever seen. She figures that she might be the manager of this place since her outfit is different from the young employee with vibrant purple hair behind her, who seems to recognize her unlike the woman talking to her.

She redirects her gaze to the menu above them and skims through the options. “ _ Uhh.. _ can I have a large strawberry frappe and a grilled chicken panini sandwich?” she orders politely, returning an awkward smile.

“Name?” The girl behind the cashier asks as she takes the large plastic cup to write on.

Sooyoung somehow feels glad that this woman in front of her doesn’t seem to have any clue who she actually is. It reminds her of what it’s like to live a normal life once again despite numerous people staring at her right now. “Yves. Y-V-E-S.”

The worker behind her proceeds to step closer to the woman, catching the idol’s attention. “Chuu-unnie, d-do you seriously not know who she is?” She says with her jaw wide open in disbelief.

The woman named Chuu points her hand at Sooyoung while still looking at the girl. “Well Yerim, she literally just said her name is Yves...” she repeats her name as she looks back at her.

“You don’t recognize her?” Yerim takes another chance to confirm Chuu’s cluelessness.

Sooyoung smiles awkwardly as they both inspect her. She may have been less busy than usual for the past months, but she is still considered as one of the most popular idols in the industry. She has done several advertisements and magazine shoots from renowned brands. It’s hard to miss her when she’s on television, billboards and radios.

“Oh my god!” The oblivious girl mutters those three words as if the fact that Sooyoung is a celebrity has suddenly hit her. “ **_You’re the woman who was blocking my way the other week!”_ ** she furrowed her eyebrows as she continues.

_ Blocking her way? I never even met her- wait!  _ she talks to herself when she realizes who this Chuu is.  **“And you’re the woman who kept swearing at me after you almost hit me with your car during a stoplight!**

“ **_Unnie you what?!_ ** ” Yerim raises her voice and glares at Chuu, almost like she’s startled and worried about what could happen to the girl if she ran over Yves. There would be an army of fans hunting her down to take revenge and bring justice to the idol. 

“ _ Hey _ , you’re supposed to be on my side Yerim...” The woman pouts when she feels the sense of betrayal against her.

“And _ you’re _ supposed to know how to drive properly.” Yerim throws back an argument as she crosses her arms and tilts her head. Chuu’s face says it all, she can’t believe the employee said that.

Normally, Sooyoung would be worried about employees arguing, but she notices how close these two are and she knows they mean no harm to each other. She laughs at the rounds of teasing between them, who have completely forgotten about the idol.

“And she’s supposed to—“ Chuu gets cut off when Yerim elbows her to look at Sooyoung giggling at them. “Just apologize.” Yerim whispers softly, only enough for Chuu to hear. ”Why do I have to—“ the woman gets hit once more. “I’ll explain later.” the younger girl says firmly.

“I-I’m sorry.” Chuu mumbles “Your frappe and sandwich are on the house, don’t worry.” she announces to both of them. 

Sooyoung knows that it’s a half-hearted apology, but she finds it cute that she doesn’t seem to be someone who likes to lose in an argument. ”No, no it’s fine!” She insists that she pay since she doesn’t want to feel like she’s getting special treatment from them because she’s an idol.

“See Yerim she said it’s fine—“ she turns her head around but the purple-haired girl interrupts her mid-sentence. “We’ll just bring your food on your table, please take a seat.” She smiles and Sooyoung nods to the girl’s statement.

As the celebrity turns around, Chuu looks at her employee with a confused face. Usually, Yerim never cuts off anyone when they speak, especially if they’re older than her, but today she’s overlapped her too many times. 

“She’s one of the best soloists in Korea,  _ how do you not know who she is?!”  _ Yerim tries to say under her breath though Sooyoung overhears it anyways. She smirks at the compliment and proceeds to find herself a seat.

Sooyoung sits on an armchair which is conveniently facing the windows where she can spot her best friend who’s in the middle of talking to her fansite. She can’t really see much of Heejin’s face considering how dark it is outside and how her back is turned but as for the other girl, she can have a clear view of her reaction. After a few minutes of observing, her gaze turns to the woman walking towards her.

“Here’s your order, Yves!” Chuu widely smiles at Sooyoung as she places the tray down gently. The celebrity bows to thank her, but the woman sits on the chair across her and comes nearer to whisper under her breath. “So are you a legit idol like they say you are?”

  
  


***

  
  


Hyunjin has been waiting for  _ too _ long now. 

She drove straight to the cafe after a tiring training session, thinking that she could endure a few hours without dinner. 

_ She was clearly mistaken _ .

Her stomach is growling, her head is aching, her body is sore, all she wants to do right now is cook a three course meal for herself, take a hot shower and pass out on her soft bed, but no. She’s sitting on the corner with her head leaning on the wall, waiting for her phone to come any time soon. 

What makes her mood even worse is the fact  _ Barf Face _ isn’t replying to her messages at all. What if she doesn’t come? What if she forgot about it? These thoughts make her more upset the more she thinks about them and speaking of Barf Face, she never actually asked for her name. Now she’s wondering how she would even refer to her if she comes.

Hyunjin gives the woman another 15 minutes to arrive or else she’s heading back to her apartment to the sweet comfort of her bed. All her energy from waiting is slowly being drained as time goes by and she can only reserve so much for her to drive home and get ready to hibernate for half a day.

Hyunjin is taking a sip from her nearly-finished iced coffee that she ordered earlier when the clock on her phone says it’s time to go. She stands up and gathers all her things, then walks towards the trash bin to throw her empty cup. 

As she switches her direction to the doors, she hears a soft tapping noise on the window. The redhead lifts her head and looks through the glass wall, seeing a woman waving back at her and hearing a text come through her phone. She takes a quick peek on the small screen, reading the message.

**Barf Face:** hey come outside

Hyunjin raises her head and starts to talk underneath her breath.  _ Gosh she’s so weird. Why does she look like a creep who’s about to sell me drugs or something?  _ She notices the girl typing and another notification pops up.

**Barf Face:** let’s sit here :D

Hyunjin doesn’t know why she insists on staying on the seats outside when the cafe is still open with several empty areas inside. It seems even riskier when there’s barely any light emitting from the short lamp posts, since the main source of light is coming from the interior.

Although she’s weirded out, she stops herself from complaining and gives in to her request since the woman is already here. She quickly walks to the other pair of glass doors on the side so she can get this over with and go home as soon as possible.

Hyunjin feels the woman’s eyes following her as she takes a seat across her. She can’t really discern the girl’s face since she’s wearing a mask and a cap in a place with such bad lighting, but she doesn’t mind at all. “You’re late.” the redhead initiates the conversation with a dull and cold tone to her voice.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Barf Face apologizes in a soft and sincere voice, muffled behind her mask. “That’s why I got you some food as a gift — well, as a compensation for being late.” She begs for pardon and hands it over to the redhead.

“ _ Uhh thanks…”  _ Hyunjin awkwardly says since she doesn’t know how to react to the sudden offering, but she accepts it anyway, considering how she hasn’t eaten her dinner yet. “You know the cafe is still open right? You literally looked like a sketchy drug dealer who’s about to convince me to buy some weed or something.” She admits her thoughts frankly.

The woman chuckles at Hyunjin’s comment about her appearance. “That’s funny.” she says as she smiles behind her mask; the redhead can see her eyes get smaller.

“Anyways, where’s my phone?” Hyunjin starts to wonder since that is the reason why they’re both here in the first place. The woman lays it down on the table and slides it over to the redhead carefully.

She is unable to speak for a few seconds when she finds herself directly looking at the object. She slowly grabs it and the first thing she does with it is check her precious photocard hiding behind her phone case.

After a long period of waiting and delays, she can’t believe she’s finally reunited with her brand new phone and her special edition photocard. She gets even happier upon acknowledging that not everyone gets the chance to have their phone back after losing it, so she considers herself somewhat lucky that Barf Face isn’t an asshole. 

“You could’ve gotten your phone much earlier...” she begins to say something that catches Hyunjin’s attention “...but I really wanted to do it myself as a thank you.”

_ “Huh _ ? What do you mean you wanted to do it yourself?” Hyunjin asks since she doesn’t quite understand what the girl is trying to tell her, but she doesn’t get a reply. There’s a moment of silence and confusion for the redhead when she sees the woman starting to remove the bands of her mask behind her ears.

A long shiver runs down from her neck until her back as Hyunjin’s eyes shoot wide open, her jaw dropping down in agape and her whole body beginning to go numb to the point she can’t move a single muscle to react properly. Although she does try to make an effort to construct a sentence, only jumbled up words come out of her lips. 

The red flush on her cheeks spreads throughout her whole face when all the things she said flash before her eyes. She doesn’t know whether she wants to hide under a rock for the rest of her life or scream on top of her lungs but one thing is for sure, she’s unable to do any of that with the condition she’s in.

The small amount of light emitting from the inside is enough to reveal the idol’s entire face. Hyunjin could never mistake her for anyone else. The gentleness in her brown eyes, the curve in her lips, the moles near her eye and on her cheek. She is sure of it.

Everything suddenly makes sense, from the delays, the texts, the calls, she knew that something about her was awfully familiar and she hates how she didn’t trust her gut about it. Who would have thought a day like this would come where Jeon Heejin is sitting in front of her, returning her phone with the most beautiful smile on her face... not Hyunjin apparently. 

“Hello Hyunjin.” The brunette greets her feeling accomplished that she surprised her fansite who seems to be malfunctioning. “So... Do I still look like some sketchy drug dealer to you?” Heejin teases the girl as she gives her a smirk.

_ S-She just said my name  _ Hyunjin thinks to herself as she’s painfully close to fainting. She wants to bash her head on the table for calling an angel a sketchy drug dealer.  _ I’m so dumb oh god  _ she panics in her head. She can’t even process that her favorite idol is talking to her. “H-Heejin?!” She manages to breathe out, blinking multiple times to make sure she isn’t dreaming.

“Mhm, that’s me!” Heejin cheerfully confirms her identity as she keeps her eyes on the other.

“N-No, y-you’re joking. You can’t be h-her..” Hyunjin stutters as she persistently denies what she’s seeing with her own two eyes. Out of 7.8 billion people in the world, what were the odds of Heejin picking up her phone? Maybe the universe does side with her after all.

“Will this make you believe me?” Heejin questions as she takes her phone and begins to type something while Hyunjin observes her. 

When the celebrity places it back on the table, they both hear a text tone coming from Hyunjin’s old phone. The redhead hesitantly picks it up, while giving a confused look at Heejin and then redirecting her gaze to the device to read the notification.

**Barf Face:** I named the stuffed bunny you gave me Heekki :D

Of course she would send something only Jeon Heejin would know. No one else knows this information except for the idol and that pretty much confirms it. Barf Face really is the  _ real _ Jeon Heejin, no matter how many times she pinches herself, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s right there in front of her.

“H-How did you get here?” Hyunjin lifts her head and immediately asks Heejin a bunch of questions piled up in her head, since she is genuinely concerned about the idol. “Shouldn’t you have a bodyguard right now? Wait — are you even allowed to be here at this time?”

Heejin smiles even wider when Hyunjin starts to worry about her being here. She looks down for a short moment, then turns her head facing a specific direction inside of the cafe as she speaks. “Idols are people too you know? We sneak out, break rules, but at least I’m not alone.” 

Hyunjin follows where the brunette’s eyes are leading and ends up looking at two customers sitting across each other.  _ Pause _ . She takes another good look at them again. “Chuu-unnie? a-and… _ ”  _ she tries to squint even more “ _ oh my god i-is that Yves?!” _

There are so many things Hyunjin needs to process, but she doesn’t have the brain power to do it. She knows both of the celebrities go a long way with one another, however she hasn’t even recovered from Heejin’s identity reveal yet, which was already a handful to take in, so having another idol in the same area as she is right now feels almost impossible to believe.

“Oh, you know the girl who Sooyoungie is with?” Heejin asks out of curiosity as they stare at them together.

Hyunjin nods slowly in agreement, “H-Her name’s Kim Jiwoo but she prefers to be called Chuu. She’s the co-owner of this cafe.” she answers the idol.

“Ohhh… it’s just that Sooyoung, well Yves, has never been the type of person to have a conversation with strangers when she’s out on her own.” She explains her best friend’s personality. 

Sooyoung has always been careful when it comes to her career. Whenever someone approaches her, she likes to keep their interaction a fan to idol relationship and she doesn’t just simply chitchat to anyone despite her being an extrovert. 

Heejin looks back at Hyunjin to find her frozen in her position. She thinks that she probably surprised Hyunjin way too much tonight from the way she’s spacing out. 

“Anyways, don’t you want to eat? You might’ve been hungry while waiting for me.” Heejin seems a little concerned when she remembers how long the girl has been waiting. “Though the chicken might also be cold by now…” she gives the redhead a heads up.

Hyunjin snaps back to reality when the celebrity brings up food. She had completely forgotten that her stomach is empty and that her last meal was a burger all the way from lunch. She removes the tape sealing the box and opens it to reveal a good amount of perfectly fried chicken inside. 

Her mouth starts to water as she stares at it for a long time, and Heejin on the other hand seems a little worried by the silence of her fansite “Wait, are you allergic to chicken? I’m so sorry—!“ 

“N-No, no I’m not!” Hyunjin reassures her by taking a chicken wing out of the box.

Heejin smiles as the girl panics. “You seem nervous huh?” 

Nervous is an understatement to describe what Hyunjin is feeling. Her palms are sweating, her legs are shaking, this is more than just  _ nervous _ . “W-Who wouldn’t be?” she says bluntly as she bites a piece of the drumstick shyly.

“It’s just me, the one who apparently robbed and puked on your phone. I’m harmless.” Heejin teases her to lighten up the mood, but she ends up making Hyunjin choke on her food. 

**_“I’m so sorry, I didn’—“_ ** Hyunjin gets cut off by the brunette.

“Kidding, I’m kidding!” She laughs. “...but seriously, don’t be afraid to be comfortable around me, I’m just like you.” Heejin consoles her.

The last part of the celebrity’s sentence just doesn’t sit right to Hyunjin when she clearly knows Heejin is probably the most perfect being she has ever seen. Although she disagrees, she’s aware that Heejin just wants to be treated like a normal person right now. “Okay...” she smiles and accepts her request.

“How’s the chicken?” Heejin asks for feedback, but it seems like Hyunjin is at a loss of words so she only receives a thumbs up and several nods from her. The girl pushes the box of chicken towards her and offers her to get some using her body language. “No, it’s fine!” Heejin shakes her hand uncontrollably.

“Please, I don’t want to be the only one eating.” The fansite pouts, making it irresistible for Heejin. “Go ahead take your favorite part!” She says kindly as Heejin takes a peek inside and hesitantly grabs the first drumstick she sees. 

Hyunjin notices bunny charms are dangling out of her flannel. “Oh you’re wearing the charm bracelet!” she says happily.

“Yeah, it’s  _ really really  _ pretty! Thank you!” Heejin compliments the charm bracelet given to her as she stretches her arm so they can both see it. “But you know you didn’t have to do all that, the gifts I mean.”

“Well, I didn’t know any other way to reach you so I could apologize.” She clarifies her side of the issue. 

“You had nothing to apologize for in the first place.” Heejin defends her argument.

“I-I felt so bad since you looked so confused and disappointed, you know? I even thought of you filing a restraining order towards me.” Hyunjin mumbles as she starts to avoid eye contact with the idol by facing down.

“After you saved me too many times? I could never.” She says, catching Hyunjin’s attention. “it’s really nice knowing I have a fansite like you around me.” she continues and this time, the redhead is looking at her.

Hyunjin can’t help but blush when her favorite celebrity gives a genuine statement about her being protective although she has heard it before. She remembers what the idol has told her through text the other day, about how Heejin would feel lucky to have her. That specific message hits her even harder now since she knows that the idol personally said it herself. 

She can’t slow down the pace her heart is pumping right now, feeling that it might be on the verge of exploding any second. “I-It’s nothing really..” She tries to brush it off shyly.

There’s a sweet silence between them as they smile at each other. This is exactly the dream interaction any fan would absolutely die for but Hyunjin did not just only meet her favorite idol, she’s apparently her friend now too. The world isn’t too cruel after all.

Their short moment doesn’t last longer than a few seconds though, because Heejin’s phone makes a sound. The brunette has received a text from Sooyoung.

**Sooyoungie:** sorry to ruin the fun but we got to go

**Sooyoungie:** Hyejoo’s starting to look for me 

**Sooyoungie:** she said she needs help with baking,,

_ Hyejoo baking? _ Usually, it’s her older sister who does all the kitchen tasks so she figures that Chaewon’s magic is starting to rub on the raven-haired girl once again.

She turns around and sees her best friend looking at her before she makes her exit. “I guess you guys have to go?” Hyunjin says as she stands up from her seat first.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer.” Heejin apologizes since she feels bad that she won’t be able to talk to the fansite as much as she expected. However, Sooyoung’s the one who allowed this meetup to happen and she’s truly grateful that her best friend did this for her so it’s her time to return the favor.

“It’s okay! You’re not supposed to be here anyways. You might get in trouble and I don’t want that for you.” Hyunjin assures her that she isn’t disappointed by her leaving early. 

“Well...” Heejin pushes the chair back as she stands up and puts on her mask again. “Thank you for everything, Hyunjin.” She genuinely speaks from the bottom of her heart and goes closer to the redhead so she can give her a warm hug.

Hyunjin stiffens up as she finds herself frozen when Heejin wraps her arms around her unexpectedly. She hesitantly holds back a bit until she returns the embrace, making sure she doesn’t cross the brunette’s comfort zone. 

_ She smells like french vanilla _ Hyunjin thinks to herself. Heejin’s scent is so comforting that she could probably fall asleep if she hugged her for any longer, but the idol lets go immediately. “N-No,  _ thank you! _ Please have a safe trip home.” The redhead stutters as she tries to regain her strength back.

“You too!” She slowly walks away. When her figure gets smaller, she waves farewell and Hyunjin does the same. When she thinks she will disappear from her sight, Heejin texts her something before doing so.

**Barf Face:** btw, don’t forget to check your camera roll ;))

Hyunjin quickly follows what she has been instructed and checks her recent photos. The celebrity surely knows what to do to make a fan’s dream come true with all the surprises up on her sleeve. 

There goes Hyunjin losing her mind when she discovers that a spam of Heejin’s selfies is in her gallery. 

_ What did I do in my past life to deserve this? _

  
  


***

  
  


“Well, someone looks happy.” Sooyoung observes the passenger who can't seem to hide the wide smile that’s plastered on her face. “How was the meet up with Hyunjin?”

Heejin is right next to her, swaying her body freely while using her phone as a fake microphone to sing along to a couple of songs by Lizzo playing in the background. She is undeniably in such a good mood that she looks like she drank ten large cups of coffee with enough energy to sustain her for probably a whole month. The idol looks at her friend with only pure joy in her eyes. “Sooyoung, you should’ve seen her face when I revealed myself!” she exclaims cheerfully as she continues to do her little dance on her seat.

“Yeah, I sure did. She looked like she was going to have a heart attack because of you.” Sooyoung did see how the fansite reacted upon discovering that it was Heejin who she was talking to all this time. She made sure to steal some glances every once in a while to make sure the redhead wasn’t some creep who would hurt or kidnap her and she was right, that girl was  _ definitely _ stunned. “Anyways, you should be thankful that she didn’t -- you know…  _ die.” _

The driver may be exaggerating, but honestly, both of them have the uncontrollable power of being an idol, and that’s somehow worrying. A good example is that time during Sooyoung’s recent concert, where a woman from the audience fainted because she was doing a short dance cover of Love Shot by EXO with her sweaty abs flexed in front of her eyes. Surely, celebrities interacting with their fans is like a dose of serotonin but a little caution wouldn’t hurt when they do.

“She was shaking the whole time but she tried her best to overcome it.” She says as she looks out the window. “She was really soft and sweet,  _ like _ she offered me some chicken since she didn’t want to eat alone.” she adds.

“She’s sweet alright... I wouldn’t even let you stare at my food.” Sooyoung admits jokingly. Between the two of them, when it comes to food, there is no such word as ‘sharing’ especially if it’s something they really love with a burning passion. The chicken bucket they ordered for Hyunjin from their favorite restaurant is adequate for 2 people, but both of them can devour the whole thing on their own. “But soft? I don’t know Heej. Maybe she’s just acting like that because she’s now aware that it’s you?” she reasons with hints of uncertainty behind her voice.

“No, she isn’t like that.” Heejin argues immediately as she faces her best friend with piercing eyes, almost like she’s scolding Sooyoung for judging her. The older idol is shocked by her violent reaction and a second later, Heejin is too. 

She doesn’t know what got into her to make such a sudden burst of disagreement but she isn’t mistaken with what she feels about her statement. “S-She showed me enough of who she is for me to put my trust in her.” She tells her genuinely as she recalls all the memories of her fansite being the person the world needs. 

“I bet she earned your trust by giving you her drumsticks…” Sooyoung quickly looks into Heejin’s eyes before she fixes them on the road again. The brunette may have one of the most gentle eyes anyone could ever have and having been her friend for years now, she can see reassurance in them. “Well if you trust her, then I do too.” She returns a smile of approval. 

The corners of Heejin’s lips curve upwards as well as she gains Sooyoung’s faith in her fansite (and new friend). “Oh by the way, she recognizes you too.” She leans comfortably onto the car seat as she watches the trees and buildings move past them.

“I’d be surprised if she didn’t...” The driver scoffs as she starts to be cocky “...like the woman I was talking to. Although that kinda explains a lot of things when I think about it.” 

“ _ Huh?  _ What do you mean?” Heejin asks regarding the random mention of the woman she saw earlier. She is slightly confused and waits for an answer as to what explanation Sooyoung needs. 

The celebrity lowers the volume of the music blasting out the speakers to a minimum so she can clearly narrate what Heejin missed while she was outside of the venue. “Apparently,  _ she _ was the one who almost ran me over with her car that other time.” the woman goes straight to the point.

On the other hand, Heejin cannot believe what she is hearing. “ _You’re_ telling _me_ that the co-owner is the same woman with bad driving and road rage?” Sooyoung nods her head, but it doesn’t convince Heejin a single bit. She may have not seen the woman clearly from her seat but she could sense the energy she was radiating even through the windows. She was sure about the bright smile plastered on her face. She would have never guessed that the woman would be somewhat aggressive, but with the amount of people revealing more sides of themselves lately, she shouldn’t be surprised at this point. “You’re joking… Chuu is literally like a ball of sunshine.”

“ _ Chuu?  _ Is that her name?” the driver asks, somehow surprised that Heejin knows despite never coming close to her at all. “I think so? That’s what Hyunjin told me earlier.” Heejin says as she tries to recall their conversation again.

“Well I hate to break it to you, but behind that smile, there is a woman with a third degree black belt in Taekwondo...” Sooyoung starts to state some facts she found out about Chuu.

“What—” Heejin reacts but gets interrupted by Sooyoung blabbering with more details of their unexpected chat. 

“Yeah! Like she started punching the air and even stood up to show her moves.” She says enthusiastically, pretty impressed with the sudden performance. “It was kinda badass, not gonna lie.”

“No I— Wait. Hold on. How did you guys even start talking?” Heejin stops her best friend’s flow and questions her. “Usually you would only have minimal interactions if you’re out in public like this.” 

After being in the industry for 3 years now, Sooyoung has learned to keep things lowkey to enjoy the small amount of freedom she has left. She doesn’t like being mobbed or approached if she’s out minding her own business trying to live the life of a normal person once again, but Chuu seemed like an exception from the rest.

“She brought my order to my table and suddenly sat down to whisper while covering her mouth if it’s true that I was a celebrity according to what the employee over on the counter said…” Sooyoung narrates with a full on reenactment of the scene and a couple of hand gestures while Heejin listens attentively, nodding her head excessively. “...Then when I answered yes, she straight up asked if I am willing to be their brand model.”

_ Brand model?  _ Now that’s something Heejin didn’t see coming. No one ever just pulls up and asks a famous personality to endorse their own products and services, but it’s not like Sooyoung could grant her wish anyways. Whether she likes an idea or not, it always ends up with the decision of the company. “I— Does she  _ really _ think it’s that easy to get you to say yes?” Heejin murmurs sarcastically and rolls her eyes to the window.

“Well...“ Sooyoung runs off into an awkward silence that screams yes all over as Heejin catches up to raise her voice. “Soo you can’t just go out promising stuff to random business owners without the company’s approval, you know that right?” The brunette scolds her.

“S-She offered me a good deal okay!” The girl stutters with a louder voice that overlaps the passenger’s.

Heejin can already sense that the words coming out of her friend’s mouth right after are going to be either dumb or…  _ dumb _ . Knowing how Sooyoung acts, she will always make sure to give challengers an opportunity to set a deal with her, especially when...

“She said I can taste all the food and drinks from the menu for **_free!_ ** _ ”  _

_ … food is brought to the table. _

“And basically if all the menu items fit my palate, I said I’ll agree to it. Now, tell me that isn’t a good deal.” Sooyoung continues to persuade her best friend with her shenanigans, but it only gives Heejin some sense of relief.

The brunette doesn’t need to worry much about it anyways. The idol may have the biggest appetite despite her toned figure, but she’s slightly picky when it comes to her sweet tooth. 

“C’mon be honest, you just want free food.” Heejin laughs at the woman, but it doesn’t take long for her to clap back.

“And what about it?” Sooyoung smirks, tilting her eyebrow up then flipping her hair back when she faces back to the road.

“Gosh I can’t believe you Soo...” Heejin smiles at her and shakes her head as she turns the volume higher, drowning the silence during the whole ride back home.

  
  


***

  
  


_ No thoughts, head empty.  _

Hyunjin never really understood what that phrase meant over on the internet, but now she does as she finds herself staring blankly in space. She’s lying down on her large sofa, replaying every bit of memory she has of what went down in the last few hours and memorizing the smallest details. Tonight, the dreams she thought were nearly impossible to reach, the dreams that would only stay in her bucket list for her whole lifetime, have come true in the most unexpected way the universe could create for her. 

She continues to spend her silence immersed in her loud thoughts where denial of what reality presented her exists. Even if she goes through every single moment she’s lived earlier on that night, she still won’t be able to wrap her head around it no matter how hard she tries. Her brain is all worn out from malfunctioning back in the cafe and truly deserves some good night’s rest, but the adrenaline that pumps in her bloodstream keeps her from falling asleep.

While she is stuck in her own bubble, she doesn’t hear the constant ringing of her doorbell. The only thing that snaps her back to the real world is when faint knocks along with an overly familiar voice calls her over from the other side of her apartment. 

The redhead bounces back up on her feet and dashes towards the entrance of her humble abode to welcome Yerim, who she has been waiting for so she can release all the emotions she’s piled up inside of her. However, her talkative best friend greets her with several complaints the moment she opens the door. “Hey, why didn’t you wait for me to get off work?” she pouts as she makes her way in towards the couch. “I had no choice but to ride with Chuu-unnie because my sister and Jungeun-unnie had to pick Janggun from the vet and you already know that I  _ barely _ survived arriving here.” 

Hyunjin apologizes under her breath, feeling slightly guilty for leaving her to go through all that stress. She follows behind Yerim and drops her body on the cushion next to her while the purple-haired girl resumes her babbling. “Also, you  _ cannot _ believe what happened Hyun!  _ Yves  _ yes, _ Yves,  _ was there and _ she talked to me _ .  _ Like me.”  _ she pounds her hand on her chest repeatedly and continues “ _ Like oh my god,  _ she’s even more beautiful in real life.  _ I can’t, I can’t even comprehend. _ Chuu-unnie even had a conversation with her. I’m so jealous  _ aaaaah _ .” She starts to lose her mind while pulling her hair back from all the shock she’s feeling and honestly, Hyunjin feels the same way but until now she’s just been speechless.

When Yerim calms down from the high of her excitement, she notices the phone Hyunjin lost for a couple of weeks laying flat on the coffee table. “ _ Oh!  _ Look you got your phone back! Congrats Hyun! I told you Barf Face would come eventually.”

“ **_Don’t call her Barf Face!”_ ** Hyunjin reacts violently but gradually decreases the volume of her voice as she throws her head back and shoves her face into a pillow, internally cringing when Yerim reminds her of the mean things she said to the idol through text. “I take back the fact that I ever even said that…” 

“ _ S-Sorry...”  _ Yerim says suddenly, clueless with what triggered her friend to behave like that. She slowly pats the redhead’s back to give her some sense of comfort if that was what she needed. “W-What even happened earlier?” She asks as she begins to be concerned.

Hyunjin lifts her head, silently putting the pillow aside, and slowly takes her newer phone from the table then hands it over to her. “Look through my camera roll and it will explain everything to you.”

Yerim doesn’t know why the redhead is making her even more confused than she already is, but she takes it anyway. She looks at her friend with a tilted head, asking for permission to unlock the device through her eyes and receives an insisting nod to proceed. She presses the gallery icon and immediately sees a bunch of selfies of a woman along with her cat photos. She glances at her with an eyebrow up as she attempts to piece things together “So basically, a pretty girl spammed your phone and she got you gay panicking all over the place, am I right…?” 

“She’s not just a pretty girl.  _ Look carefully.” _ Hyunjin scooches closer to her to bring the phone closer. The girl shakes her head then goes over to pick the first selfie she sees.

Yerim squints her eyes, making sure what she’s seeing is right. She surely can’t mistake that for anyone else but Jeon Heejin. She follows her on Instagram, even having her notifications on for the celebrity, so she’s very certain that beautifully sculpted face belongs to her. “Okay. She’s a fan of Jeon Heejin, what about it?” she asks, clearly not getting the point.

“Yerim… I’ll make this simple for you.” Hyunjin puts her hand on the girl’s shoulder and looks at her directly. “Barf Face _ is _ Jeon Heejin.” she explains as she taps the screen to emphasize the last part, but her best friend isn’t convinced.

“You really think  _ I _ would believe a bunch of pictures of Heejin on your phone…” Yerim tries to hold her laugh in after hearing Hyunjin’s short explanation. She isn’t wrong for doubting those words because who in their right mind believes such a thing instantly... well, not her apparently.

“I’m not lying, I swear!” Hyunjin raises her tone when she hears the lack of belief in Yerim’s voice.

Yerim backs away to put her feet on the couch, tucking her legs near her chest as she continues. “What happened then? How was she like? Does she smell good or does she--” she rambles out questions, but gets cut off. 

“Slow down. I-I don’t even know where to start... but I’ll tell you what I remember.” The redhead begins to go over the story from the top, ensuring that no detail is overlooked. 

As Hyunjin narrates enthusiastically, Yerim is giving her friend her full attention as she talks while experiencing a whole rollercoaster ride of emotions. From laughing so hard that she can’t breathe as she makes fun of the girl, to melting down completely whenever she hears something sweet; it all sounds almost made up. Hyunjin can’t even process any of the words leaving her lips, how could she expect Yerim to believe her? Of course a conversation between two best friends isn’t complete without at least one of them getting side tracked, injecting unnecessary memories and stories once in a while and it takes them around an hour just to finish the whole encounter with ‘Heejin’.

After Yerim listens to the redhead’s perspective, it’s her turn to be heard. “So you’re telling me, she came there with Yves, revealed her face, gave you a box of chicken, and hugged you before leaving...” She clarifies the main points of what went down and pauses when the redhead overlaps.

**“Yes! How many times do I have to repeat it?”** Hyunjin is starting to get annoyed with how stubborn her best friend is being right now, but she doesn’t give up on persuading her.

“...And all this time, out of all the nicknames you could’ve chosen, you called  _ the  _ Jeon Heejin, Barf Face.” she continues and makes fun of her best friend’s regretful decision to call her that.

**_“Shut!”_ ** __

She laughs for a bit when she sees Hyunjin cringing internally but then changes into a more serious behavior when she starts to speak again “…but you know what’s crazy? If that really  _ is  _ her _ , _ I would be so jealous right now because you don’t stan her.” Yerim groans from envy since she’s a big fan of hers. “Like maybe if I unstanned Oh My Girl then maybe I could’ve met them by now, don’t you think?” she starts to sound desperate when she imagines different scenarios of herself meeting her favorite girl group. 

As Yerim goes on with her fantasies and daydreams, Hyunjin doesn’t pay much attention to her as she’s trying to decide whether it may be the perfect time for her to be honest with her best friend or not since the subject has been brought up. Although she has always portrayed a boyish image around people, part of her wants to reveal her new side among the closest people in her life. She doesn’t quite know why she’s making a big deal about this when she knows everyone will be glad to accept who she is anyways, maybe they wouldn’t even be surprised nor even care to dig deep through it so in the end, she finally makes up her mind. 

“Well, I do.” Hyunjin mumbles softly as the redhead removes her phone case and slips out a rectangular card with a thick black stroke of what seems to be an autograph on top of a picture of Jeon Heejin. 

**_“You have a signed photocard?!”_ ** Yerim shouts as she snatches it from the girl’s fingers to examine it closely. Out of all the information Yerim has gained in the past hour, this is the one to shoot her eyes and mouth wide open. 

“Do you believe me now?” Hyunjin genuinely whispers next to Yerim’s ear as they both admire the photocard, sparking a little bit of hope in her just for it to be put off when her best friend responds.

“I don’t know Hyun… you could’ve just met someone who looked like her you know? Plus it was pretty dark outside, maybe you didn’t see her face clearly.” she says, clearly still having second thoughts.

“Do you really think I’m making this shit up?!” Hyunjin complains upon feeling some sort of betrayal between the words of her own best friend. This is one of the rare times Yerim is not completely on her side on things and she always finds it surprising when it happens.

“It’s not that I’m saying that you are, but I mean that's a lot to take in Hyun... I wouldn’t believe it if it came from someone else, but since you’re the one who told me, a part of me does believe you because you would never think  _ this much _ for a story.” Yerim explains what she feels, hoping it won’t upset her even more. It’s not like she doesn’t want to trust her, it’s just so unbelievable and bizarre to her. 

“Fine. What will make you believe me?” Hyunjin accepts her reason and proceeds to ask her one last time before she lets go of the topic. The other girl sitting next to her goes into deep thought for the redhead to provide some strong evidence for her case. A few seconds pass and Hyunjin is still staring at her for an answer when one idea suddenly pops up in Yerim’s head.

“Give me your phone.” she orders her best friend.

Hyunjin thinks twice before passing her phone over on the girl’s palm since Yerim is beginning to act suspiciously, but it’s most likely because she just wants another look on Heejin’s selfies. Maybe then she’ll realize that none of those pictures of her are anywhere on her social media platforms nor on the internet in general. “Okay, fine. Do whatever.” she indirectly gives her consent.

“Alright, if you say so.” Yerim smiles as she grabs Hyunjin’s phone and scrolls through her contacts looking for the one called _Barf Face_. She doesn’t wait to make sure whether Hyunjin is telling her the truth or not and presses the call along with the speaker option.

Hyunjin drops everything when she hears the dial tone ringing, panicking about Yerim not realizing that this isn’t just anyone she’s about to talk to. Although her best friend’s intentions are good, she fears that her friend will do something to embarrass her even more than she already feels.  _ “Oh my god Yerim, don’t call her! What the fuck?!”  _ She grasps on her belonging and suddenly both girls are participating in a game of tug-of-war 

“Let’s see if it’s really her then!” the girl blurts out, letting go of it immediately and looking at the screen when they hear a voice coming from the other side of the line. 

“Hello?”

Yerim lifts her head and looks at Hyunjin who is figuring out a plan in her head where she doesn’t humiliate herself even more, but seeing how her face changes into furrowed eyebrows with sharp eyes, she doesn’t think she’ll survive another day compared to riding with Chuu. She sends her silent prayers from the heavens above as she has some time left before she gets jumped on later.

Hyunjin turns off the loudspeaker and nervously stutters in reply “H-Hello! I-I’m sorry we didn’t mean to disturb you!”. Her eyes transform into more gentle ones and her voice grows a little softer as she stays focused on the call.

“It’s fine!” a reassuring voice tries to relieve her “but who’s  _ we _ ?” 

The redhead facepalms quietly, thinking that the conversation could’ve ended if she chose her words more carefully, but she answers honestly. “My best friend tried to call you. I’m sorry. She works at the cafe we went to earlier and she was also the one who lent me her phone to call you before. I-I’m really sorry.”

“Oooh! So _ she _ was ‘Cockroach’...” 

Hyunjin chokes while embarrassment swallows her whole as she listens to the woman.

“Why did she want to call me?” 

“She asked me what your name was and she couldn’t believe me when I told her who you are…” Hyunjin continues to respond to her questions, but stops when she realizes that she might’ve broken the trust between them since Heejin met her in the most discreet way for the public not to see.  **_“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t consider your feelings I_ ** — **_”_ **

“N-No, don’t worry! It’s okay, she must be someone you really trust anyways… I’m willing to talk to her if that’s what she wants.” 

“B-But aren’t you busy? Don’t you have a flight to catch tomorrow?” Hyunjin attempts to go around the topic when the idol insists on speaking with Yerim. It isn’t something she thought might happen, so she was pretty laid back until now. She isn’t exactly sure this will end up being a good idea, but she can only hope for the best as she doesn’t refuse her entirely.

“ _ Ummm…  _ I can spare a couple minutes. Go ahead and pass the phone over!” 

The excitement on her voice leaves chills down the redhead’s back. The girl then looks at Yerim with fear in her eyes. “She wants to talk to you.” the girl whispers as she hesitantly hands her phone over to the purple-haired girl who seems to be shocked. 

Yerim points at herself repeatedly, making sure that the call is for her to take. Her best friend nods her head in agreement and so she grabs it from her hand. She swallows her saliva down her throat before talking, slightly more nervous than earlier when she had all the courage in her, maybe because Hyunjin’s words are finally starting to sink in. However, there is no time to waste, she cannot let someone wait for her to prepare, so she dives in. “Hello! This is Yerim speaking!”

“Hi Yerim! Nice to meet you. I’m Heejin!”

The girl can clearly recognize that voice from anywhere, but she wants to verify her identity once more. “Can you prove it though?” she challenges the woman, hiding her fear behind the amount of confidence of that sentence. Out of nowhere, the assumed celebrity sings out one whole chorus of ViVid in acapella. Her voice sounds exactly the same as the studio version and that’s the moment Yerim completely believes the both of them, no questions asked. Talk about eating cds for breakfast, lunch and dinner  _ sheesh! _ Only Jeon Heejin can relate and it amazes the girl with how good she sings even through calls. 

After she smoothly nails the last note of the segment, Yerim applauses for her.  _ “Oh my god yes??? _ It really  _ is _ you?!” she says in a sing-song tone. On the other hand, Hyunjin is silently judging her from a short distance, cringing on why she’s acting that way about finding out that it really is the idol.

“Yeah! Probably the reason why you didn’t see me earlier is because Yves backed me up by getting everyone’s attention” she laughs from amusement.

“You guys are close?!” Yerim gasps immediately upon learning this new piece of information. Heejin and Yves may be labelmates, but it isn’t a very well known fact that their friendship goes all the way back to their trainee days. It might’ve been because one debuted earlier than the other that made everyone think they’re merely workmates when they actually aren’t.

“We’re best friends! She’s the one who offered to drive me to the cafe so I could return Hyunjin her phone.”

“Wait— so you really spammed her camera roll for real?!” Yerim only realizes now that she has never seen those photos of her at all. She quickly glances at Hyunjin with her eyes wide open, just to find her mouthing  _ I told you so  _ with an attitude.

“Hahaha she showed you that too? Well I thought it’d be a good surprise since she’s my fansite after all.”

“ _ Oh! Yeah…”  _ Yerim chimes in and turns her head to Hyunjin as she’s caught off guard with that new information. She turns the loudspeaker on, so the redhead overhears the conversation between them. “... _ a fansite.”  _ She tilts her head, keeping her gaze on the girl when those two words come out to shock her friend. Before Hyunjin gets to defend herself, Heejin goes first.

_ “ _ Yeah! I’m really grateful for her since she saved me a bunch of times and even sent me gifts as an apology one time.” 

Yerim absorbs all of the secrets revealed by the idol and recalls the moment when Hyunjin had thrown a big fit and ran to her for help. She’s pretty flattered that the redhead followed her advice despite it being so unlike her but honestly, when was all this like her in the first place? Tonight’s events are really for the books. 

“Anyways, as much as I want to talk to you guys, I really need to go now.” she sighs in disappointment. “Also since you’re Hyunjin’s best friend, I’ll put my trust in you too.”

Hyunjin’s cheeks flush into a pink hue as well as Yerim’s, who is also flattered by the statement. “Your secret is safe with me!”

“It was really nice talking to you Yerim! I hope I get to meet you soon!”

They all bid their goodbyes and everything comes to an end. Yerim falls on her back and sinks on the cushion behind her as she fangirls internally, but her best friend doesn’t seem to be reacting the same way as she should be. She notices the redhead frozen in her position, absolutely not knowing how to explain her now exposed hobby. 

“So all this time, you’ve been lying about attending training sessions? And I had no choice but to ride with my overly-flirtatious sister or my daredevil of a boss.” Yerim gives her a glare as she begins to make her attack.

“ **_No!_ ** **It’s not like that!** Please Yerim **_,_ ** I would never skip training, you should know that by now…” Hyunjin defends her side of the story. “Our schedules don’t really collide with one another so I do get to squeeze in being a fansite for her.” she confesses with a soft voice, barely enough to be heard.

_ “Well, I guess you have some explaining to do Hyun…”  _

  
  


***

  
  


Heejin is roaming through her large walking closet, scanning through several pieces of hanged clothing as she plans for tomorrow’s outfit and for her business trip at the same time. Originally, after her amazing photoshoot with the one and only Lalisa Manoban, she was supposed to pack her things earlier considering how slow and indecisive she is with what to bring or not. Sometimes, the life of a libra isn’t easy when it comes to these minor issues. 

Although she has to stay up to finish filling up her luggage, she doesn’t regret making time to meet up with Hyunjin especially since it had been long awaited for the redhead and she definitely owed her that. The short conversation with her fansite’s friend was pretty thrilling too when she thinks about how the company strictly instructs her not to do that.

However, sleeping late has never really bothered her, despite her adjusting to her idol life, because her childhood was spent watching anime until the sun rose. She can confidently say that she’s immune to the lack of sleep she should feel next morning so she doesn’t need to worry about the flight to Jeju tomorrow to film an advertisement for Nivea.

If she had to be honest right now, she had a pretty exhausting week from all the workload recently but it doesn’t mean she’s tired of it. The amount of love for her idol life is probably equal to the amount of love she gives to anime and that says a lot. Even with the short amount of time since debuting as an idol, she continues to be booked and busy as her popularity and fanbase grow larger every single day through her trending in social media platforms because of the most random things, like planking for 7 minutes straight without her arms shaking or a new TikTok trend featuring her song. 

She might not show it, but she would never trade it for anything else. Although she tries her best to be cautious, she’s allowing possible risks that could damage her career just by interacting with her fansite. She figures that it’s just her attempting to balance her previous life with her new one so she can to prove that an idol is a mere human like everyone else, but knowing herself well, she was never good with multitasking unless it’s during a performance.

After a few hours of ticking the boxes from her checklist as she walks back and forth from different parts of her home, her phone rings with a new notification asking to be opened. It’s probably just Haseul reminding her the rundown of her schedule as always so she takes a few tops before leaving her dressing room and places them on top of her bag, since organizing could wait a few minutes. She walks into her bedroom and looks for her phone hiding below the clutter on her white bedsheets. 

After scavenging it from the mess, she unlocks it while she slowly makes her way in front of her bag.

**Hyunjin:** Het

_ D-Did she just call me that out of nowhere?  _ Heejin squints as she checks the text a second time to make sure her eyes aren’t the ones fooling her.  _ Why does everyone think I’m a het?  _ The brunette is confused and slightly offended if she may add. She may not have dated all the girls back in her days free from the public, but she is certain that not a single cell in her body is straight. Wait until the world sees her with her future girlfriend, then she’ll see if anybody still has the guts to use that term again. 

**Hyunjin:** omg I’m so sorry that was supposed to be hey**

 **Hyunjin:** I know this is a bit weird to message you but I felt like I needed to thank you again for making time to return my phone! 

Heejin giggles behind the screen as she gets a spam of explanations in an attempt to reverse her embarrassment. She glances on the pile of things she needs to organize in that luggage of hers, but maybe a small break wouldn’t hurt her. The idol lies down on her loveseat and elevates her legs on the arm rest as she sends a reply.

**Heejin:** no problem !! :D 

**Heejin:** why would it be weird?

**Hyunjin:** maybe because it feels illegal to have your phone number??? 

**Heejin:** HAHAHA shouldn’t you be happy?

If Heejin put herself in Hyunjin’s shoes, she would literally be on top of the world if she were allowed to talk to her favorite artists casually. However, the redhead is really respectful about her privacy and that’s one trait she’s learnt about her which she deeply appreciates. 

**Hyunjin:** happy to be a criminal?!

**Hyunjin:** I don’t think so,,, 

**Hyunjin:** okay maybe just a little bit :)

For some apparent reason, that makes her lips curve into a smile. It’s pretty easy to entertain her shallow sense of humor, but she likes to keep it that way. Before she gets to reply, the fansite sends another text.

**Hyunjin:** hby shouldn’t you be asleep?

_ Oh shit!  _ She swears inaudibly, completely losing track of time because of packing her bags and getting ready for bed. Though, when was the last time she caught up on sleep anyways?

**Heejin:** I should be

**Heejin;** but I mean I could always sleep more in the plane, am I right? HAHA

**Hyunjin:** nooo you should get some rest !!

**Heejin:** you sound like my manager 

**Hyunjin:** i-is that a good thing?

Heejin believes she’s enjoying this so much that she’s starting to be this comfortable with teasing her fansite, but she’s still at the stage of testing the waters. She doesn’t want to upset the other girl by acting like she’s known her for years, she wants her to gradually settle in with her habitual teasing someday.

**Heejin:** HAHAHA don’t worry, she’s very sweet too

**Heejin:** although it was nice to see the other side of you before you found out about who I am.

**Heejin:** don’t be afraid to be comfortable with me okay?

**Hyunjin:** I’ll try my best

**Hyunjin:** but it still hasn’t sunk in that you’re Jeon Heejin 

**Hyunjin:** and I don’t think it ever will HAHAHA

**Heejin:** you'll get used to it soon :>

_ ‘Soon’ _

Honestly, Heejin never really thought of pursuing this friendship, but she finds something interesting about Hyunjin. She knows that her fans would obviously treat her in a special way, but she has seen the redhead for who she really is when she’s not around her and she’s willing to wait until she can see that part of her again along the way.

**Heejin:** I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?

**Hyunjin:** yes!! :D

**Hyunjin:** and Yerim too...

**Hyunjin:** she was bugging me until I said yes

She can already imagine what Hyunjin had to go through after that call a while ago. That Yerim girl might’ve wanted to meet eye-to-eye as soon as possible when she said she couldn’t wait to meet. It’ll still be fun to see them for a very short time enough to make their day a little happier.

**Heejin:** well I’ll see both of you then!

**Hyunjin:** Goodnight Heejin! :)

**Hyunjin:** have a safe flight tomorrow!   
  


**Heejin:** Goodnight <3

She tosses her phone gently on the table as she pulls herself up to organize the last few things she needs to place inside of her luggage. Today was surely a long day but in the end the joy she gave her fans was enough to warm her heart. Regardless of whether or not she became an idol, all that matters to her is the happiness she gives to others and nothing else.

_ So dear Hyunjin and Yerim,  _

_ Did I make you happy? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ends a very wholesome chapter! Hihihi Next chapter you guys will find more about them individually so I hope you guys will look forward to that! Also, if you guys have any scenes or small details you would want to see, feel free to leave it in my curious cat or comment down below <3 it is very much appreciated! 
> 
> PS: I have school soon + I've been really anxious lately BUT don't worry I am here to finish what I started :D
> 
> Twitter: @stanzbl  
> CuriousCat: @stanzbl


	6. Personal Battles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so so so sorry that this chapter was a little bit delayed,,, there were a lot of things going on in my life and hopefully you haven't forgotten about this! Anyways, go ahead and enjoy this new chapter <3
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

_ Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking… _

In a few minutes, the plane is about to take off and head on over to Jeju Island for the idol’s first commercial film partnered with Nivea. Haseul and Heejin are seated in the business class cabin while the rest of the crew and bodyguards stay in economy class as provided by the company themselves despite it being a short flight. 

The brunette stares out the window, watching a small vehicle tow the baggage cart towards the plane as the pilot makes the usual announcements for their flight. Next to her is her manager, who seems to be looking for something before she places some of their things in the overhead compartment. 

“Heej,” Haseul calls for the idol’s attention, making her turn to her direction “here’s a neck pillow and a blanket.” She says as she hands the items to the girl and sits down afterwards.

Heejin silently wraps the pillow around her neck and unfolds the blanket, releasing a deep exhale as she covers her body and relaxes onto the cushion. She has a bit more than an hour to catch up on sleep and recharge to prepare for a long day ahead of her. She wasn’t lying when she told Hyunjin that she could just sleep more on the plane anyways. 

“Are you nervous?” the manager asks, clearly more excited than the brunette herself. Haseul loves her job and is good at it too considering how stressful it is, but being able to travel while supporting the friends she’s grown to have a special bond with makes her heart full.  It's also been awhile since she was last on a plane, the last time being when she was managing Yves over a year ago

“You could say that.” Heejin replies. This is another one of her few ‘first times’ as an idol and of course she would want everything to go smoothly and perfectly, like what she has planned in her head, although new challenges are inevitable and all she has to do is try her best to get her desired outcome. “It’s Nivea after all...”

“Wanna know who else loves Nivea? Vivi! She would keep bottles of their micellar water products around her office to wipe off her makeup after work!” Haseul randomly inserts the CEO into the conversation. 

Heejin doesn’t know how to respond to Haseul, but she nods in confusion as she does have some questions in mind.  _ How does Haseul know she keeps several bottles in her office…? Does that mean she goes there often?  _ Simply talking about her office  leaves chills running down Heejin's spine. She's never been called there once and she'd  like to keep it that way. However, she does gain the courage to share her thoughts “How’d you know?” she asks curiously.

“ _ Uhh _ ... I get to go to her office often.” Haseul answers honestly while putting on an awkward smile since Heejin has put her on the spot.

“I heard it’s scary to be in there.” The idol mentions, already feeling terrified just at the thought.

“The only thing scary is the fact that there isn’t a spec of dust in that room, like how is that even possible?” Haseul laughs with no fear in her eyes. The well-known CEO and the manager have gone a long way with their friendship. From a small incident in the company cafeteria to hanging out casually in the office of the most intimidating person alive, it surely is a little bit unbelievable to think of.

“Speaking of Viian Wong…” Heejin leans in with an evil smile “what did you help her with the other day?” she attempts to tease her.

“ _ I-I just helped her redecorate her office... _ ” the manager’s voice dies down as she gets flustered by the sudden question thrown at her.

“...And?” Heejin continues the sentence for her manager who gives her a confused look. “I know there’s more unnie, tell me!” The brunette comes closer to listen, making the other woman shier than earlier.

“Well... I asked her if we could get dinner together”

Heejin drops her jaw to the floor, unable to scream out the emotions she’s feeling, but she manages to respond. “ _ Unnie?!”  _

“ **_N-No! W-Wait! Let me explain!_ ** I was just concerned, you know? Since it was getting late a-and she also didn’t have dinner a-and...” Haseul tries to make her way around the statement, but she knows Heejin would never accept her explanation.

“ _ Well, did you?! _ ” She blurts out a little too loudly, making a few heads turn, one of them being the stewardess. However, they calm themselves down and resume the conversation in a softer tone.

“ _ Uhh _ , first of all she was shocked, but then I explained what I meant and she laughed.  **_She laughed, Heejin_ ** .” The manager’s eyes sparkle as her stomach feels butterflies and her heart beats faster “She said she would love to have dinner, but unfortunately she had all this paperwork to do.”

“Noooo!” Heejin pouts like she’s a 5-year old tucking in her favorite blankie as she listens to a bedtime story. 

“Wait, I’m not done yet!” The manager pauses, seeing the excitement and anticipation in Heejin’s eyes. “As I was about to walk out, she stopped me and you know what she said? She asked if I was fine with take out?” 

“Oh my gooood...” Heejin falls back to the wall next to her, but her attention never leaves her manager. “ _ Did you say yes?!” _

“I guess I did?” Haseul smiles “We got chinese food and ate it in her office! ...Which is kind of odd because she usually doesn’t like having food in her office,  _ but anyways _ we had dinner together.” She ends her story with her face red as a tomato.

“Is she single?” The celebrity doesn’t stop asking the right questions, catching Haseul off guard. 

“E-Excuse me?” 

“What I’m trying to say is that you guys would look cute as a couple. That’s all.” She expresses her support.

“I don’t think she likes me that way Heejin, plus we’re just business partners...” Haseul snaps herself back to the reality of things. She may have a tiny crush on the CEO which is probably a crime, yet she can’t help but fall deeper. Even with all that, she doesn’t want to be fired by ruining the friendship between them.

“Not during the company party...” Heejin whispers under her breath. 

From her point of view, Heejin can sense that Vivi does have a soft spot for Haseul and it definitely wouldn’t be impossible for the CEO to return the manager’s feelings if a confession were to take place. For someone who is strict with rules, she herself let Yeojin in the company in a heartbeat after finding out she was Haseul’s little sister and even ate takeout in her own office with Haseul  despite the risk of nasty creatures being attracted to the room by escaped crumbs. At the very least, she knows that she isn’t as clueless as those two.

“Huh?” Haseul notices her mouth move in the corner of her eye, but she can’t decode what it’s saying. Before the woman gets an answer, Heejin’s phone dings loudly.

The stewardess in charge of their cabin glares at her while giving a horrifyingly wide smile with a slight head tilt as Heejin has forgotten to put her phone on mute and turn airplane mode on literally right after the captain’s announcement. She nervously returns the gesture and silently apologizes, changing it into the right settings before she gets a passive-aggressive scolding from the woman. After the stern stewardess leaves from her peripherals, she immediately checks the notification. 

**Hyunjin:** Have a safe flight!

Heejin smiles as she gets an unexpected yet heartwarming text from the redhead. 

**Heejin:** Thank you <3

**Heejin:** you and Yerim stay safe too :D

**Hyunjin:** will do :))

Hyunjin and Yerim were outside of the airport along with the other fansites, waiting for Heejin’s arrival. When her vehicle pulled up in the middle of the c rowd, Heejin could see from the corner of her eye how excited Yerim was. She was basically rocking the redhead’s shoulder, eventually being brushed off when the girl had had enough. 

The second Heejin stepped out of the company’s van, flashing lights and clicking noises welcomed her. She stands steadily for a minute to consider the feelings of her fansites, capturing pictures frame by frame. While she poses, she looks directly at the two familiar girls from afar and waves at them, but she only gets a response by one of them since the redhead is busy with her shots.

It was really nice to see them in broad daylight after dropping the bomb reveal yesterday.  Heejin could say she's an idol during the day and just a normal citizen at night, since that's when she can portray who she really is. Or maybe she's still adjusting to her life as a celebrity, and the reason why she tries her best to convince herself every day that she's still human is to stay grounded.

Haseul interrupts her from her train of thought. “Why are you smiling? Is that your sugar momma? One night, when Yeojin came back home she couldn’t stop talking about how you had a sugar momma. Is it true? I-I wouldn’t judge you, but it’s very inter––”

“ **_No, I don’t have a sugar momma––_ ** ” Heejin cuts her off a bit too loudly, making the flight attendant pierce her eyes through her soul once more. She sinks down on her seat, covering half of her face with the blanket, feeling much more embarrassed and scared of the woman than she already was.

“ _ Oh thank god _ ” Haseul sighs in relief. “You don’t need one and you’re earning money just by breathing and being beautiful.” 

“I-- uhm okay…” she says, ending their conversation. Although she doesn’t like being reduced into someone like that, what the manager has said is partly true. However, she prefers to work hard for her achievements, it’s much more satisfying to her in the long run and someday she wants to look back and feel proud of her journey.

_ Preparing for take off to Jeju Island. Please buckle your seatbelts. _

Heejin takes her airpods and puts them  on, playing some Niki, while grasping the armrests as the plane starts to accelerate down the runway. She spaces out and looks at the outside world  quickly passing by. She imagines herself in the filming later, gathering up the confidence she needs. Nivea is just her  stepping stone for future success  and if she does well in the filming, she could potentially gain more deals. Before she debuted, she promised herself that she wasn't going to drop this dream when it got hard, she was going to  make every single dream she wished for happen with her own bare hands.

_ Every. Single. Dream. _

Her eyelids close soundly as she heads to dreamland.

***

  
  


It’s been a really busy morning for Hyunjin, unlike the past few days that she just spent snoring peacefully in the comfort of her bed. She woke up way earlier today since she had to pick up Yerim from her house and she could already anticipate that the girl was barely on her feet once she arrived, considering how much of a deep sleeper she was. For the whole trip, her best friend's energy levels were way higher than usual, babbling about how excited she was to see the idol as Hyunjin listened to her voice overlap the music playing in the background.

Now that they’re driving away from the airport after taking hundreds of bursts in less than a few minutes, they ride back  much calmer than before, mostly because Yerim is focused on reviewing the shots in Hyunjin’s dslr and the redhead has her eyes on the road on the way to the Jung Residence.

“ _Woah!_ These are so hd Hyun! Gosh, you're officially my new photographer for my instagram feed.” the passenger comments, pausing from scrolling through every single photo to face the redhead. 

“ _ What do you mean ‘new’? _ I’m the one who took  _ all _ of your pictures… well, except your selfies.” Hyunjin scoffs at her. 

Yerim has a few thousand followers on her account with a proper feed and theme going on. She has always been the photogenic one while Hyunjin has always been the camera shy one. It’s basically an unspoken rule with which roles they are assigned with.

“Come to think of it… do you think she has a private Instagram?” She leans over to the redhead, interested to find out whether Hyunjin knows. “Like what if I ask for it and… _ and we can be mutuals?!”  _ She allows herself to dream higher since she’s a step closer to the brunette than everyone else.

“She’s a celebrity Yerim, please respect her privacy.” 

“I’m just kidding...” she says and turns to the window side as she places her arm on the car door, resting her head on her palm. She stares out from a distance, admiring the city under a sunny day as Sunday Morning by Maroon 5  plays, filling the vehicle.

“I still can’t believe that you’re a fansite…” Yerim breaks the short silence, catching the redhead’s reaction. “Like one day you’re out here being a sucker for bands, then the next day you’re out here collecting Heejin’s albums.” she refers to the songs she’s been playing the whole ride. 

Personally, Hyunjin has always preferred to listen to bands over pop music ever since she was in middle school. She holds her music taste very near her heart, almost like it’s some kind of drug to feed her spirit. It accommodates all her emotions when she needs it the most. From her blood rushing throughout her body to her soul feeling numb to the point she can’t feel pain anymore. The amount of her love towards bands resulted in her learning to play instruments and compose her own songs (although, only she knows about that). But as for the idol’s case, she fell for her voice and personality in the span of one night and here she is now.

The redhead smiles, a little embarrassed that what Yerim said is 100% right. The girl continues picking out the best photos, babbling as always as the fansite drives through highways and stoplights. It takes multiple topic changes and laughing moments for them to finally reach their desired destination. When they hop down and head to the front door, Hyunjin stops Yerim from walking for a moment.

“Hey...” she grabs onto her best friend's arm “...don’t tell Jinsoul-unnie about this. If she asks where we—” Hyunjin gets shut down by the younger sibling as she’s stating their backup plan.

“Chill, she probably isn’t even awake yet. She came home late from Jungeun-unnie’s place since she got a puppy recently.” Yerim assures her and starts to unlock the door, only to open it with Jinsoul staring directly at them from the kitchen 

“Hey kiddos, I’m making breakfast. Did you guys go somewhere?” the tall blonde asks as she cooks, wearing her lemon print pajamas. Yerim hesitantly looks at Hyunjin who is glaring and smiling at her like she’s about to get murdered right then and there. As the sister stutters on finding the right excuse, the redhead pulls through with one. 

“We wanted to try this new place around the corner, _ but sadly  _ it wasn’t open.” Hyunjin lies as she comes in and welcomes herself inside, side eyeing Yerim for a split second.

Jinsoul serves each of them a steaming bowl of kimchi fried rice with side dishes of egg rolls and vegetable pancakes, making their mouths start watering and their stomachs demand for food. The Jung siblings have always had good cooking skills run through their bloodstream and Hyunjin probably learned a thing or two during all the years they’ve known each other. “Since you two are here, I have something to tell you.” she says as she sits down in front of them.

“Did you quit your stupid job and decide to be a full-time music producer?” Yerim speaks over her, indirectly telling her to leave and follow her passion. Her big sister has been an assistant in a dentist’s office for quite a long time now and it actually pays pretty well, and it’s not like Yerim doesn’t support her, she just has some reasons as to why she never visits her sibling anymore.

“Hey, it’s not stupid…” Jinsoul softly disagrees, pouting as her eyebrows slant downwards, looking like an abandoned puppy.

“Yeah okay, but your coworker is.” Yerim insults her workmate. She will never forget the last time she visited Jinsoul’s workplace, when the woman on the front desk who goes by the name Somi snubbed her because she was interrupting her ‘lunch break’. 

The blonde is about to retort, but Hyunjin breaks the tension by going back to the subject. “So, what did you want to tell us?” she says, grabbing the attention of the older woman who takes a deep breath before speaking.

_ “I think it’s time for me to propose to Jungeun.”  _

Jinsoul’s eyes twinkle as bright as the wide smile on her face. Her cheeks turn red and she looks down bashfully as a few tears start to stream down to her chin. She has been meaning to say those exact words from the moment she fell in love with her.

One night as they were stuck in traffic, she quietly listened to the soothing voice of her girlfriend singing to ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele. She admired the love of her life as if time slowed down for them, falling for her even deeper than before as memories of every single moment spent together came back to her mind. If she could list all the reasons why her heart belonged to Jungeun, there wouldn’t be enough stars in the sky to compare. The blonde slowly intertwined her hand with the brunette as she joined in with the last verse.

_ I could make you happy, make your dreams come true _

_ There's nothing that I wouldn't do _

Jinsoul rubbed circles behind Jungeun’s hand and blended her voice to produce a beautiful harmony between them, almost like she was reciting her vows.

_ Go to the ends of this Earth for you _

_ To make you feel my love, oh yes _

_ To make you feel my love _

After their duet ended, Jinsoul placed her soft hand on Jungeun’s cheek and caressed it with her thumb. That is when every cell in her body knew, she wan ted to spend the rest of her life growing old with Jungeun. 

**“AHHHH! FInally!”** Yerim screams and starts jumping around, flailing her arms around. She runs to the other side of the table, tightly embracing JInsoul while she cries tears of joy especially since she has always been the couple’s number one supporter from the very beginning. She absolutely  _ loves  _ love and when she sees it, all she can do is melt into mush. “Does Chuu-unnie know about it?” she asks, loosening her hug so her sister can talk.

“So far, only you guys know,” Jinsoul tells them as she wipes her tears. “but I’ll give her a call tonight.”

“What do you plan to do?” Hyunjin questions her, also extremely happy for her favorite couple to finally seal the deal soon. 

**_“Fancy dinner? A walk on the beach? Stargazing? A fancy dinner on the beach while stargazing––?”_ ** the younger sibling walks back to her seat while not being able to contain her excitement as she speaks without pausing for a breath.

“I think buying the ring should come first Yerim…” Jinsoul laughs, glad to hear that her sister took her good news acceptingly. “I’ve finally saved up enough money for it too.” she says as she continues to take a bite of the meal she’s prepared.

“ _ Oh.  _ Is that why you’ve been working overtime and going to work on some of your rest days recently?” Hyunjin genuinely asks another question, taking a piece of eggroll from the plate. 

“Yeah.” the blonde nods. However, even though she has been overworking herself for the past few weeks or maybe even months, she never fails to make time for Jungeun when she needs her. She would take her home after a long day of work or cuddle up along with her girlfriend’s new adopted puppy. Jungeun is one of the most important people in her life and she’s the one who keeps her going when she thinks of giving up. 

“Can I help you go ring shopping unnie?  _ Pleaseee? _ ” Yerim begs. 

Jinsoul thinks twice before responding, but it would actually be a great time to bond for the lost time they’ve experienced. “Sure, why not?” she gives in. “I know we’ve been together for years now, but honestly, I’m so nervous to bend down on one knee.” She worries about the future, not because of the fear of being rejected but more of the fear of it not being the moment she has always dreamed of. 

“It will be perfect, don’t you worry unnie.” Hyunjin reassures the older woman and gets a smile in return. As they munch on their food, the redhead can't help but turn silent while the Jung siblings continue their conversation. A few thoughts run through her head when she tries to remember what love feels like.

One person comes to mind and it’s been a couple of years since she has gotten her heart broken in an empty parking lot. Sometimes she questions if it was really love they had, but if it wasn’t, then  _ what is love? _ She never speaks about these feelings of hers to anyone although, someday if she’s lucky enough, the love she longs for will come by just like it did for Jinsoul and Jungeun.

  
  


***

  
  


_ Scorching. _

That is one word to describe the weather in Jeju Island right now. The sweat dripping down Heejin’s neck, the tan she’s developing on her fair skin, and the hot wind blowing out of her handheld fan are just small hints to explain the heat even under the shade. The only thing that’s keeping her from melting is the iced coffee Haseul bought for her.

Heejin’s makeup team and hair stylists are in the middle of retouching as the crew behind the commercial filming arranges the decorations and props for the next scenes. They only have one day to film two advertisements around approximately 30 seconds of length. A day may seem to be enough in the eyes of the viewers, but it actually takes much more work than people might think. 

So far, if the idol were to guess their progress on the first project, they must’ve gotten around 70% done in the last 2 hours. Although she should be enjoying this opportunity, she's starting to get anxious about whether or not she's doing a good job.

Usually, she trusts herself enough when it comes to her specialty and capabilities. She may be new to this field, but she isn’t unfamiliar with what she should do, especially since Sooyoung is there to give her some advice and tips along the way. However, the director she’s been working with has been rude and harsh to her all day. She begins to overthink , masking her self-doubt with her remaining confidence in order to finish her schedule.

**“Everyone, back to places now!”** The director shouts on top of his lungs, clapping his hands to emphasize the urgency. “Well? Do you think you have all the time in the world, princess?” he mockingly talks to Heejin as if she’s a baby. 

Of course, Heejin immediately stands up to prepare for the shooting as instructed by the higher up, but she honestly just wants this to end already. She doesn’t think her self-esteem can last any longer, however she will continue to try to give them the satisfaction they expect from her. 

“Fighting!” Haseul attempts to keep her burning passion and drive going since she notices the words of the superior starting to take a blow on the celebrity. She obviously doesn’t tolerate the actions of the filming director, but stepping in might be detrimental to Heejin’s career. All she can do is support the idol from behind as she fights her own battles.

Heejin does everything she can while the cameras roll, making sure to leave an impact in such a short amount of time. Her eyes observe the looks from the staff sneakily and it seems like they are impressed with how it’s going, or that’s what she thought.

“Cut! Can you do that move again?” The man keeps his focus on the monitor and doesn’t spare a glance at her when he orders her to redo a specific part. They’re doing a close up segment where Heejin spins around with the product on her hand, Heejin fixes herself in position and gets ready for their go signal. “Okay... action!”

She does what she’s told, but the director repeats with a dull tone. “Again.” His voice is giving her goosebumps, afraid to disappoint him by making another mistake. What’s bothering her more is the fact that he’s  trying to guide her without telling her what she’s doing wrong . The brunette thinks a little cooperation and teamwork from his side could be helpful between them and the staff working hard to make this happen. 

_ Again.  _

_ Again, _

_ Again. _

Heejin is about to lose her mind, she’s trying to improve her shots in every single way she can think of, but how come this so-called ‘director’ isn’t directing her as he should be? Although she stays composed, she can see the frustration in his face; Heejin hopes he won’t burst, but hoping doesn’t stop that from happening. 

“Hey you.” He says, turning his head to the person next to him, asking what her name is.  _ “ _ Heejin, aren’t you from ViVI Entertainment?” She gives him a nod as she puts her hands behind her, clenching them secretly. “Can you _ at least _ do it properly? It’s so simple...” he re-enacts the brunette’s exact movements she was doing earlier. 

_ I’m okay, just a little more. _

Heejin toughens herself as she pushes through the last scene of the first commercial. Everyone is looking at her, she needs to act professional, this is the route she chose after all and she wouldn’t  go through all that just to break the reputation she's built for herself. She takes a deep breath and follows his lead once more. Eventually, they wrap it up successfully and are given a longer break this time. She still has a long day ahead of her, but before she faces it, she heads to the restroom to give herself a breather. 

Heejin steps in and scans the place to see if anyone is inside with her. After finding out she’s all by herself, she puts her hands on the sink counter and shuts her eyes for a second, trying her hardest to keep her tears from flowing down and ruining her makeup. 

Don’t get her wrong,  _ she loves her career, her life, her passion,  _ and everything about it, even the challenges and obstacles. It’s just difficult, but being in the idol industry is never an easy life to live. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies like how the media perceives it to be. She may be fortunate on landing a spot in the top company out of 8000 people who auditioned, but the standards and pressure put on her shoulders are way more than a normal person could handle. For someone who’s still in her adjustment period, this is just one of the instances that will hopefully make her stronger mentally and emotionally. Obviously, no one can pick who they work with. Not everyone would have a kind heart or a friendly personality so the only choice she has is to rely on cooperation and hope that it ends well.

She does partly blame herself for not being able to reach the director’s expectations, since she’s a perfectionist it hurts her even more. She keeps asking herself what's wrong with her or what she’s doing wrong. Thoughts and harsh words start to crowd her mind, only making her feel worse. The celebrity looks at herself in the mirror and sees that her nose is starting to turn red. She grabs a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall and pats the droplets dry on her cheek.

_ Not yet Heejin. Not yet.  _

She tries to compose and convince herself by talking to herself in the mirror. After today, she definitely needs to have a heart-to-heart with her best friend about this. Although Sooyoung is probably the goofiest person she knows, the older celebrity’s experience and wisdom are no joke. Sometimes,  she wonders how Sooyoung thrived through all these years without any close senior guiding her. Heejin would never admit this to her friend, but she admires how strong she is to get through all that. As she stays vulnerable, she begins to panic when she hears the door creak open.

_ “Heejin?”  _ Haseul’s soft voice echoes through the corners of the empty space.

“ _ Oh! _ Is it time to film again?” The brunette faces the wall immediately and throws the tissue in the bin, making sure she doesn’t reveal her slightly swollen eyes. “I’m sorry I lost track of time. I’ll be out in a bit.”

“Are you okay?” the manager comes nearer, gradually penetrating her personal space. 

“Y-Yes!” Heejin answers louder than she should, startling the older woman as she turns to show herself with a forced smile. She doesn’t like showing vulnerability unless it’s Sooyoung because they share similar struggles with one another. 

Haseul takes her hands tightly and stares at her watery eyes. “It’s about mister director isn’t it?” She starts to worry about the idol. “You have every right to be upset okay? Keep this between us, but I really hate his guts for being so rude and inconsiderate to you despite how beautiful the shots were when I was observing the monitor earlier.” She tones down her voice in case someone is eavesdropping behind the door.

Heejin is so glad that she isn’t the only one who feels this way. The manager’s words made her feel validated and understood which she clearly needed to hear from someone else. Now she definitely knows Haseul would’ve argued with him for acting as he did, however she also has a job to keep. 

“Okay, this is what we’re going to do.” Haseul firmly speaks as she listens to her attentively. “Let’s pull through this schedule and then I’ll let you order all the food you want for dinner later. Does that sound good?” she ends with a comforting smile as she waits for her response.

_ “Mhm.”  _ Heejin sniffles as Haseul fixes her hair back to normal. God knows how thankful she is to have Haseul as her manager since she genuinely cares and worries about her, almost like a second mother. She takes a deep breath to regain all the drained out confidence back as the older woman offers her more tissues. 

“I’ll be waiting outside to make sure no one sees you.” Haseul says, leaving her alone to recover. 

Heejin looks at the mirror one more time before heading out and she slaps her cheeks softly to wake herself up. This time, the emptiness in her eyes disappears and Heejin feels like she’s found her purpose once again. She can hear the director’s stupid voice calling over everyone to the next set and so she reminds herself not to take all his negative comments to heart. 

_ “Hang in there, self. Just a bit more.”  _ She motivates herself and just like that, she has had enough of testing waters and decides to dive in head first.

***

_ Home sweet home. _

Hyunjin drops her dufflebag on the front door as she drags her heavy body to the soft carpet in her living room rather than the sofa since she doesn’t want to dirty the covers. Her muscles should’ve adjusted by now, although the reason why her body is aching is not because of football training, but because she lost a friendly bet among her teammates. The bet was simple, whoever was the last one to complete the crossbar challenge would end up standing still with their back turned, waiting for the rest to aim the ball on their ass and unfortunately her overconfidence led her to her demise. Half of the balls missed and the other half hit her either on the right target or somewhere else.

_ She missed it: the pain, the exhaustion, the whole team, the adrenaline. She missed every single thing about it. _

She considers the field as her safe place, her second home as some may call it. She feels this sense of freedom that the world outside of it can’t offer her. The redhead still can’t believe she gave it up years ago because of a stupid heartbreak. Every time she’d have tuneups, she’d look over to the bleachers to see her ex-girlfriend watching her from afar and maybe that’s why she couldn’t go back without healing first. 

Sharing a valuable part of yourself with someone temporary will always leave a scar, knowing so well that they can never give it back. It explains the tough exterior she presents herself with around others, she never wants to lower down her walls and get attached to someone who could possibly hurt her and make her lose herself again. She just can’t let it happen.

As Hyunjin lies down on the floor, placing the back of her arm on her forehead, she debates with herself whether she should take a nap on the floor since she’s comfortable anyways. White noise fills her ears letting her doze off slowly until she hears a muffled ringtone coming from her bag.

“Ughhhh…” the athlete groans, not having enough energy to lift herself up, so she decides to crawl towards it. Usually, she wouldn’t have cared at all, but she has set a different ringtone for specific contacts and this is one of them. She can already feel the fear growing inside of her as she approaches her phone. She doesn’t know what to expect, but she knows it isn’t good. The redhead clears her throat before answering. “Hello?”

“Why weren’t you able to answer my calls earlier? You know how busy I am Hyunjin.” A strict monotonous voice talks on the other side of the line. 

The redhead immediately feels this sense of terror creeping up her spine upon the realization that she hadn’t noticed any missed calls earlier. She knows how cautious she should be with her words right now. She doesn’t want to upset the woman even more or else it’ll just be a disaster. “I’m sorry, I was occupied. I promise it won’t happen again.

“What could you possibly be occupied with?” the voice bites back, slightly attacking her out of the blue and letting her speak out of panic without thinking twice.

“I-I was preparing...” Hyunjin runs off, lowering the volume of her voice with each word that comes out of her lips.

“Hyunjin, can you  _ please _ talk in full sentences.” 

She is starting to hear a bit of irritation from the older woman, but she obediently follows her instructions. “I was preparing for the tryouts for the national—“ 

“You’re back at that again?” The lady doesn’t let her finish, when she can already figure out what she was trying to say. She sighs in what seems to be purely disappointment. “You should stop wasting your time like that, Hyunjin. You didn't graduate as a business major early in the top university in Korea for you to waste your future like this.”

Hyunjin doesn’t seem like the type of person to study intensely at first glance, but that’s what she did while trying to balance her social life and extracurriculars. She already has a degree to begin the next stage of her life, but she’s finally mustered up the courage to visit her past dreams and achieve them before it’s too late. However, not everyone is very supportive of that and the pain she bears just continues to grow. “I’m sorry, mom.”

Her mother sighs once again, leaving a moment of suffocating silence between them. “Why can’t you be like your cousin Jisoo? She knows how to set her priorities straight and look at her now, she’s built her own fashion company from scratch after graduating.” 

Hyunjin purses her lips as she listens to the stinging words from her own mother, to the point that she’s unconsciously biting them so hard that her tongue can feel hints of the metallic taste of blood. She feels even smaller as the call goes on. 

“Do you want to end up like your aunt who always asks for money, just for her to gamble it rather than to support her broken family? You’re an adult now Hyunjin, act like one and stop ruining the future we gave you.”

Hyunjin doesn’t know whether she’s just exhausted or if her mother’s words have really pierced through the thick walls she surrounds herself with. “I-I’m trying my best.” her voice cracks, but not enough for the woman to notice. 

Throughout her whole existence, her life has never been completely hers to begin with. Ever since she was born, she only had to go through the path built for her. Her parents were always the ones who would make the final decision, disregarding her opinion. As she grew up, she learned how to keep her mouth shut, she learned how to pile her emotions, and she learned how to accept the sad reality she lived in. 

“No you’re not.” her mom says seriously.

Hyunjin’s heart starts to hurt when her feelings get neglected. She’s tried so hard to keep this conversation flowing smoothly, but she figures that no matter what she does, she only brings dissatisfaction and regret to her parents. Her hand clenches her jersey, wrinkling the part where her chest is located.

“If you were trying, then you would’ve made us proud by now.”

_ ‘If you were trying, then you would’ve made us proud by now’ _ . The redhead breaks as she repeats her mother’s words in her head one, two, three, a thousand times. Tears silently stream down her face, however Hyunjin pushes herself to stay strong in order to avoid even more drama.

_ I’ve always been trying my best to make you proud of me, _ she tells herself. The thoughts on the dark corner of her mind crowd her again. She cannot remember a single memory of her parents smiling widely because of her achievements, not even when she collected awards from the rest of her education. They told her it was as expected and it shouldn’t be special, that’s how it’s always been for her. “I-I’m sorry.” she apologizes with the only words that can come out of her mouth. “I’m sorry, mom.”

“Why won't you be useful and help me and your father?” her mother’s tone is kind, but she knows that behind that voice of hers is aggression and demand. 

“I will. Just please give me some time.“ Hyunjin asks for her consideration.

“You keep telling me that over and over and it keeps ending up being pushed back. I’m tired of the same excuse… Hyunjin you are our only daughter and you are clearly going to be the successor when both your father and I retire. What do you not understand? We did not raise you to be a disappointment to the Kim family.”

“I just want to try to get in the National Women’s Football Team and after that, I promise to help you and dad.  _ I promise. _ ” the daughter guarantees her mother with assuring words and conviction. 

In all honesty, playing football and being a fansite are the only choices she has ever made for herself. They’ve brought her the happiness and safety she couldn’t have at home. They are enough to let her feel the sense of freedom within the chains around her. She obviously doesn’t want to lose something so immensely important to her, she doesn’t want to lose part of herself. 

“I was right that football was a distraction to you.” the older woman speaks with regret clearly audible in her voice as she looks back at her daughter’s past.

On the other end of the line, the redhead stops herself from answering. She doesn’t want her mom to get more upset than she already is. She composes herself as she wipes her tears and tries to stabilize her shaky voice in order to speak properly. “So what did you want to tell me earlier, mom?”

“Your father wants you to move into the mansion. He believes that it will be much more convenient than living in that cramped apartment of yours and it is better to guide you with work.”

Hyunjin puts her phone down for a second and lifts her head to observe her dark apartment. If she could compare her flat to the ones available around her, the space she has would probably be twice as much than an average apartment. The redhead being the only person to live here, it is more than enough in her opinion.

She realized that she doesn’t need the biggest and most luxurious things in life even if she can get them in a snap. Additionally, moving back in with her parents already feels like a bad decision from the looks of it. Not only does she have to surrender the little freedom she has left but she also has to move away from the people and things that make up the entirety of her happiness. However, refusing her father’s wishes never really ends well. “But I’m completely fine with living here...”

“It’s not a question, darling.” 

_ Of course it wasn’t an option,  _ the redhead tells herself. Her feelings never mattered to them anyways unless it was regarding business, only then they would give her attention. “Mom, please. I can assure you that I will be able to help you guys all the way from here––” she attempts to beg.

“Hyunjin.” her mother scolds her in such a way that the redhead knows she’s about to step onto the danger zone. 

The daughter’s tears never seem to stop. This isn’t the worst conversation she’s had with her family, but it’s the load that piles up on her back that she has to carry every time. She has always been very sensitive when it comes to her family and she chooses not to disclose this part of herself, not even to Yerim. Although her best friend knows her situation, Yerim isn’t aware of the small pains that she experiences on random days.

Hyunjin toughens up and gathers the courage to speak for herself despite feeling smaller than she has ever felt lately. Maybe living away from her family has made her see a light on the other end of the tunnel. Maybe for once they’ll give her the power to decide, just maybe. “What can I do to let dad allow me to stay here?” she asks desperately. 

“You know that your father won’t take no for an answer.” the older woman answers the obvious. 

“But I know he would listen to you, mom.” Hyunjin speaks the truth. _Like he always does,_ she continues to mumble. He has always been a workaholic ever since Hyunjin was young. She barely saw him at home, lesser compared to her mother, and every time he was there either she got a bad scolding or got treated like she was a mature and grown adult. Childhood was pretty harsh for her especially during summer breaks. The only person he would listen to willingly is her mother, and that’s it.

“Since you  _ clearly _ don’t see how stubborn you’re being, I’ll give you a chance _ and  _ I think a deal would be enough to settle this.”

“A-A deal?” Hyunjin stutters out of shock. This is the first time this has ever happened, but it’s not something that should make her lower her guard. Although it may be a sliver of hope, it’s not guaranteed to be in her favor. “W-What is it?” she asks nervously, knowing so well that the odds won’t be in her favor.

“If you don’t pass that tryout of yours, either you drop your little hobby or you leave this family as a disgrace.”

The redhead’s heart drops as she swallows her saliva slowly after hearing all that.  _ Am I a disgrace? Is doing what you love a disgrace?  _ She can’t piece her thoughts together, but she’s fully aware that her parents despise all her aspirations in life if they don’t align with the vision they’ve always had for her. “And what if I do?” 

“I’ll let you do everything at your own pace and I’ll make sure that your father won’t get to scold you at all.” she continues with the proposal.

Hyunjin’s world stops for a moment as her mother's voice echoes through her ears, making her sit up abruptly. She feels some burst of confidence blossom in her chest, but she can’t let that blind her from the risk she’s taking with the first condition. Her mother knows how to get what she wants and when she wants it, and it’s scary. The redhead knows she’s dead serious despite the strict yet light tone to her voice.

“Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I need to attend a meeting.now. I’ll make sure to be in touch, Hyunjin.” The busy parent interrupts the flow and tense air between them. 

Before Hyunjin gets to respond, she hangs up, leaving her daughter in tears on the floor of her dark apartment. The pressure is starting to sink in when she replays the hurtful words her mother has uttered just a couple minutes ago. She decides to lie back down and she grips on the pain in her chest as it continues to sting.

Hyunjin shuts her eyes as she curls into herself while the droplets of water from her face wet the soft carpet. The unlit room and heavy atmosphere push her down on the floor even more, draining the rest of her energy. 

All she craves for is to live her life the way she’s never done;

All she craves for is the sweet freedom she’s never had;

And lastly, all she craves for is the love she has never received.

***

Heejin rests her head on the side of the car window as she watches the raindrops race against the air resistance, ears plugged with none other than her airpods, playing her private playlist for whenever she feels down. It’s not something to hurt her feelings even more but a way for her to comfort herself through unconsciously paying more attention to the lyrics as if they were made for her, and that’s the only way she can silence the world for a moment, leaving her alone to deal with her negative thoughts. 

The brunette has always been aware of the support system she has behind her, but there are some days where she feels like she can’t talk to anyone. If there is one thing she’s glad about today, it’s that Haseul found her earlier, not just to be her manager, but her friend. The two do have a few years into their age gap, but the idol has always felt like Haseul’s motherly care towards her. 

Nevertheless, she does feel a little bit better now. She isn’t sure if it’s from eating too much from that restaurant Haseul introduced her to or if it’s because a long day of work has finally ended. However, she believes that she needs a piece of advice and some words of encouragement right now and so she texts the only person who could understand her.

**Heejin:** hey, are you there? :(

She squints her eyes from the bright light emitting from her phone and sees a speech bubble pop up immediately. 

**Sooyoungie:** nope I’m not

**Heejin:** :((

**Sooyoungie:** NOOO I’m just joking advskmfac

**Sooyoungie:** why are you sad :<

**Sooyoungie:** Did something happen during the filming?

**Heejin:** yeah… I’m really upset because I don’t think I did well

**Heejin:** and I’m so mad at myself because I feel like I didn’t reach the director’s expectations

**Heejin:** I really tried my best sooyoung, but I guess it wasn’t enough :(

**Heejin:** so I started crying in the restroom while we were on a break 

Heejin starts to tear up as she exchanges text messages with Sooyoung. It’s so unlike her to be this vulnerable despite not seeing her face-to-face. Her feelings flow freely through her fingertips to the keyboard as if it were easy to express how she truly feels, then her momentum stops. She hesitates to hit send, but does anyways as a tear falls down on the screen.

**Heejin:** Sometimes I think that I’m not fit for this 

**Heejin:** I don’t know :((

She loves being an idol, she really does yet the world tells her otherwise. No matter how much she tries to convince herself with the amount of passion that burns within her, there are times where the flame gets weaker, times where she beats herself up with her own thoughts and develops these habits of concealing her fragile state with thick walls.

**Sooyoungie:** Heejin.

The younger idol is kind of nervous about that period placed next to her name. Sooyoung is known to be goofy and fun, always joking around while mentioning food every 5 minutes, but when it comes to topics like self-esteem and confidence especially as an idol, she likes to take every word that she says seriously. 

**Sooyoungie:** I understand what you’re going through and I know what it feels like to be disappointed, but please don’t hurt yourself emotionally. In this industry, sometimes you only have yourself to believe in and you also have to realize that you can’t please everyone. We may be idols Heej, but we aren’t robots or angels. We are human, we make mistakes, we get tired, we have every right to feel the way we feel and that’s valid. 

**Sooyoungie:** One thing I learned throughout the years is that you shouldn’t forget who you are. I assure you, you wouldn’t want to lose yourself, remember?

Heejin can clearly remember when Sooyoung broke down apologizing in front of her despite the celebrity being older than her. She was so close to falling deep into a hole where fame and wealth blinds the most exposed. Fortunately, the brunette decided to stay because she knew who Sooyoung was and their friendship went beyond giving up on each other.

**Heejin:** I’ll try 

The idol can’t assure that she can do it, but simple words like ‘try’ makes it less of a burden to carry when she ends up disappointing people in the future. When it comes to herself, she makes sure to mask her vulnerability and fragility as an idol. She doesn’t want to stir up drama and articles either, but she wants to be seen as herself, that she’s human. However, one cannot get everything they want.

The loud sound of the door opening startles Heejin as she lifts her head suddenly, redirecting her gaze to the person peeking inside. “Hey, we’re here!” Haseul says as she places a few bags on her shoulders. 

Heejin puts her phone down as she makes her way out of the vehicle to catch up to her manager. The brunette’s eyes sparkle as the chandelier lights reflect on them. She can already imagine jumping on her bed and passing out the moment she touches the sheets. Her trance is interrupted when she feels her device vibrate.

**Sooyoungie:** It’s okay to be imperfect okay? 

**Sooyoungie:** I gotchu always <3

 **Sooyoungie:** let’s talk about it more when you come back?

Heejin finally gets her lips to curve upwards after a long exhausting day. The older celebrity’s words may be short, but sometimes it’s all she really needs. Maybe she  _ will _ get to sleep well tonight.

**Heejin:** yes please!

**Heejin:** thank you for everything Soo :<

**Sooyoungie:** now let’s not get all soft here shall we

Heejin giggles behind the screen, _ of course Sooyoung goes back to her normal self _ . 

**Sooyoungie:** anyways go rest up

**Heejin:** you should get some rest too!!

**Sooyoungie:** I can’t I’m on the way to the cafe for my deal 

**Sooyoungie:** cuz you know what I deserve?

**Sooyoungie:** dessert ;))

**Heejin:** corny,,,

**Heejin:** well take care then ;D

**Heejin:** don’t get diabetes

**Sooyoungie:** can’t promise but sure thing :)

She turns her phone off and puts it in her bag as she walks beside Haseul towards the elevators. While they wait for a lift, she sees discomfort in the manager’s face. Her silence is also very unusual including the fact that she seems to be holding onto her abdomen.

“Are you okay unnie?” the brunette checks ups on her while gently placing her hand behind her back. “You don’t look so well.”

The elevator doors open for them and Heejin guides her inwards. Although it may be Haseul’s job to take care of the artist, it doesn’t mean Heejin will allow herself to ignore the health of her manager. She’s an important part of her life after all and they’re in it together. 

Haseul’s is slightly bent forward, unable to straighten her back from the possible pain she’s experiencing. However she continues to press the button leading to the floor where the idol’s room is located. 

“My stomach is just a little.. upset.” She replies, obviously forcing out a smile on her face. “But I’ll be okay, I’ll walk you to your room safely.”

“No, no, no!” Heejin refuses and proceeds to press the button 8 floors below hers. “ I can manage! We’re literally here already, don’t worry” she says with an assuring expression.

Haseul isn’t fast enough to stop her from doing that, but she does appreciate her concern. However, if something were to happen to Heejin, she could possibly lose her job from a small mistake.

The doors slide open to Haseul’s floor and the idol insists on going ahead. However before leaving the lift, she looks back for some reassurance. 

“Goodnight, Haseul-unnie! Please take some meds when you get back!” Heejin speaks quickly, making sure the manager hears her farewell before the doors close. With the small gap left, she can see the manager urgently run to her room after waving goodbye.

Now that Heejin’s alone, she leans on the wall comfortably, or so she thought. She looks up and sees the blurry reflection of a man behind her, shocked that she wasn’t able to notice him earlier probably because she was busy attending to Haseul’s needs.

For some reason, she has this bad feeling about him. She can’t see much of his face, but the way he’s holding his phone doesn’t sit right with her. She can sense that she’s being filmed and her privacy feels like it’s been invaded.

Although, maybe these are just thoughts after being left alone for the first time without Haseul or someone she knows being next to her. She brushes it off for a few seconds while she keeps her eyes on the digital screen that shows which floor they’re on, but when she glances once again, she definitely sees the man coming up closer to her. 

_ She is definitely sure she’s uncomfortable now. _

She grabs her phone furtively, tapping her foot excessively while waiting. What’s even creepier is the fact they’re going down on the same floor. She would like to think he has a room there and she has nothing to worry about, but the moment she gets off the lift to brisk walk, she knows that they’re heading in the same direction.

_ Fuck, is he some sort of stalker? Fuck fuck fuck.  _ Heejin swears under her breath. She’s starting to panic and she needs to come up with something quick or else she’ll never calm down. 

She then remembers that she’s holding her phone tightly. The idol nervously goes through her contacts while her hand is shaking. 

**_Sooyoungie_ **

_ No, she won’t answer.. she’s busy driving. _

**_Hyejoo_ **

_ She’s probably gaming and that’ll be weird,, _

**_Manager Haseul_ **

_ Please, oh god please answer _

She hesitates on ringing her especially since she’s having an emergency right now, but she dials it anyways. She places it next to her ear and next thing she knows, she’s immediately put to voicemail. 

Why does it seem too familiar with those horror films where a stupid character dies from not giving a single fuck about whatever they were told. What makes this worse is that it’s real and that she’s rushing to her room which is literally on the end of probably the longest hallway she has ever had to run.

She glances at the man accelerating to catch up with her, as his footsteps grow louder on the hotel carpet. From his reflection, he seems much taller and probably stronger too. So many thoughts run through her mind in less than a second. 

_ The thing she fears the most is being dragged into his room and eventually either dying or being sexually harassed. _

**_Hyunjin_ **

The fansite is the most recent contact on her phone. If she had to be honest, she doesn’t want to include her fans in her own problems, but she obviously doesn’t have any time left to think so she just goes for it.

“Heejin.” a deep voice behind her speaks.

She prepares her room key as she prays that the redhead answers the call. She’s so tired and her legs are starting to weaken. This is causing too much stress and anxiety to her right now because being followed to her hotel room is way scarier than being mobbed by fans; suddenly she doesn’t feel safe anymore, no matter if she double locks her door.

She finally reaches the end, shaking so much that she can’t insert the card in properly, and at the same time the fansite answers.   
  


_ “Hello?”  _

Heejin hears the faint voice of her fansite, but before any word can escape her lips, she screams as a hand grabs her by the shoulder, dropping her phone on the floor.

**_“_ ** _ Heejin? _ **_”_ **

**_“Are you okay!?”_ **

**_“HEEJIN!”_ **

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was it? hehehehe feel free to leave some comments! Also updates might be slower since I started school recently, but don't worry! I'll always try my best to write whenever I can! 
> 
> PS: if incase in the future, I happen to write something that makes you uncomfortable (though I don't plan any thing like that), please do message me and I'll edit immediately! 
> 
> (Twitter: @stanzbl)  
> (CuriousCat: @stanzbl)


	7. Whipped Cream & Coffee Beans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE! It's been around a month since I last updated and I hope I didn't lose you guys! I was pretty busy, but I wish this chapter was worth the wait! I read all of your requests from a few chapters back and so I wrote some parts you guys wanted to see! Thank you for all your support and love for this fic! Enjoy!! <3
> 
> SIDE NOTE: This is optional, but please listen to "Coffee" - beabadoobee if you would want a better experience! Play it once I mention it on one of the asterisks like this (***song***) You could put it on repeat if you aren't finished reading :D
> 
> \- B (Twitter: @stanzbl)

“I want to go home and sleep already.” Jungeun yawns as she stretches her arms widely in the air to relax her tense muscles.

It has been another tiring yet fruitful day working at the cafe and the two co-owners are starting to wrap up the day’s work by doing their usual routine. The both of them have their own roles when it comes to closing hours, almost like an unspoken rule. 

While Jungeun is assigned to counting their gains and keeping things clean to make the place seem brand new, Jiwoo likes to manage their resources by taking note of their inventory and incoming packages. Although it’s clear that she’s known to be loud and chaotic, she definitely takes her responsibilities seriously especially since she’s finally found a job and environment she loves.

“Isn’t Jinsoulie coming to pick you up?” Jiwoo’s voice resonates from the storage room. “She’s usually here by this time.” she continues to speak as she takes a peek outside, overlooking the parking lot.

“She isn’t replying to my messages...” Jungeun pouts sadly when she doesn’t see any new notifications pop up. 

Most of the time, Jinsoul is punctual with time, especially when it comes to her girlfriend. Ever since she found out about Jungeun’s sleeping schedule, she always makes sure she comes early or on time whenever she can and gives her a warm hug every time. On the other hand, if she were late, she would usually send her a text to inform her, but would never let her wait for too long. 

“Aww don’t worry Jungiee, she's probably nearby!” The best friend comforts her with her bubbly voice “... and even if she doesn’t come, I can always drive you home—“

“Nope.” The co-owner pauses her counting and replies immediately. “I think  _ I’ll _ be the one driving both of us home.” she points at herself for emphasis.

“Ehhh? Why would you be the one driving us home?” the woman asks curiously. 

Jungeun completely forgot how she never really mentioned why she stopped riding with her, but it wouldn’t hurt to be honest with her best friend. “Remember that time you were accelerating uphill just because you wanted to test if the car would jump? Yeah, I think it’s best if I drive...”

“But you were having so much fun, what are you talking about?” Chuu jumps on Jungeun, shaking her as she wraps her arms tightly around hers, making the co-owner lose count. 

_ “Jiwoo, I was screaming for my life.”  _

“See? Fun!!” Chuu squeals with a big smile on her face while Jungeun internally facepalms at her unexpected reaction.

“Or that time you said that you knew a shortcut to Soul’s workplace and we ended up in a haunted hospital.”

“Okay, I swear I think I saw a ghost back there…” The woman gets goosebumps as she recalls the unforgettable memory, but gets interrupted when a pair of car lights blind her from outside. “Speaking of Soullie, she’s here.”

Jungeun redirects her gaze to the parking lot of the cafe and sees the blonde leave her car. 

Jinsoul meets the eyes of her lover from a distance and waves at her while giving her the warmest smile Jungeun could ever ask for. Her heart skips a beat as it does every time she sees the love of her life right in front of her, and even if she has seen her for the millionth time, it will never get old for her. 

“You can go ahead, Jungiee! I can close up the store tonight.” 

“Huh? Are you sure? I don’t want to leave you alone.” The woman feels bad especially because she doesn’t like passing her unfinished responsibilities to others. 

“Don’t worry! I can handle it!” Jiwoo reassures her, but Jungeun still hesitates so she pushes her gently while keeping a bright smile on her face “Go! Don’t let Soulie wait outside!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll go get changed and fix my things then.” Jiwoo leaves her no choice but to listen to her. She proceeds to the room for authorized personnel as the other co-owner walks out to keep the blonde company. 

Jinsoul was just leaning on her car door when she saw Chuu come out running towards her. She takes a few steps back, but it’s no use when Kim Jiwoo starts accelerating to jump on her. 

**_“Ahhhhhhhh! Soulie did you buy the ring?! Show me, show me, show me! Oh my god, I can’t believe you’re finally gonna propose to Jungieee! Ugh, I’m gonna cry..._ ** **”** Jiwoo looks down, fake crying as she has her hands on Jinsoul’s shoulders. On the other end, the blonde doesn’t know how to react especially since Chuu switches emotions just as fast as she speaks.

A few hours ago Jiwoo received a call from Jinsoul, which was very odd for her considering her working hours were quite busy. However, she answered it anyway and luckily Jungeun wasn’t around to hear her squealing all over the place. She was so happy for both of her best friends, her ultimate ship, her favorite couple, and everything in between.

“C-Chuu, be quiet. She might hear you!” the taller woman whisper-screams, shushing the overly-excited businesswoman. “I bought the ring with Yerim a while ago and honestly, I’m really nervous.” The blonde sneakily takes out the small velvet box from her pocket and opens it to show Jiwoo.

The woman gasps, placing her hand on her mouth just in case a scream escaped her mouth instinctively. _ “I better be your maid of honor!”  _ she whispers as Jinsoul takes it back upon seeing Jungeun approach them.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Jinsoul meets her halfway and gives her the best hug while leaving a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go home?” she asks her lovingly, placing an arm around her waist to guide her to the car as her girlfriend leans on her shoulder perfectly.

“Take care you two!” Jiwoo waves goodbye as she slowly walks back to the cafe doors. “I love you both!”

After Jinsoul assists her girlfriend to the passenger seat and returns a farewell wink to the other co-owner, “You too! Don’t stay out too late. Bye Jiwoo!” she says as she hops in her car and drives off.

Jiwoo skips back to the store and takes a deep breath in. She just has to finish checking their inventory and do a final count on how much they earned that day, not too big of a deal for her. As she’s organizing the bag of coffee beans and syrup bottles on the back, she suddenly hears the bells attached to the entrance chime. “Did you forget your phone again Jung––” She exits the small room and pauses her sentence midway, stunned in her position.

“Hi…” A shy voice speaks.

**“** **_You actually came?!”_ ** Jiwoo exclaims, shocked to see Yves standing right before her at this hour. It’s not that she didn’t want her to be here, but she never expected a celebrity to keep her word especially with the silly deal she offered the woman. 

“ Am I too late? I’m sorry I just got off work and––” Yves bows multiple times to express her sense of guilt. Although she was pretty excited earlier, she doesn’t want people to work overtime especially since she fully understands what that feels like.

“No, no! You’re just in time!“ Chuu’s high pitched voice and bright aura make the celebrity’s head flinch upwards.

“I-I am?” The idol stutters. She doesn’t know whether it’s just her status that makes her considerate and kind or if the co-owner is really  _ this _ bubbly.

“Yeah! You don’t have to worry about the people around you after all!” She reassures her with a toothy smile. “So, what do you want to try?” She walks to the celebrity’s side and asks her while they both look on the menu.

Sooyoung has no idea what to order, so she decides to face the shorter woman to give her opinion. “How about I leave it up to you? I think you would know what’s best for me.” she smiles back.

Chuu takes a step forward, making the woman tense up. “Now… Are you sure about that?” She teases the idol with a smirk on her face. 

If Sooyoung had to be honest for a second, she would admit that she’s suddenly scared to answer her question.  _ W-Why did she ask that? _ she thinks to herself, but she would like to trust her on it. She’s the co-owner after all. It’s not like she would give her bad customer service,  _ especially _ since she’s a celebrity. “Y-Yeah.”

Immediately, Chuu grabs her hand and drags her to the barista station. “Okay then, no take backs! I’m the magician and you’ll be my assistant!”

Yves is surprised with her burst of excitement out of nowhere, but she allows her to hold her hand anyway. 

“W-Wha—“

Chuu loosens her grip when they reach the blenders and coffee machines behind the counter. “Since you can’t choose, we’re making all my favorite drinks and you’re gonna help me!” She commands the celebrity. 

At this point, Yves can conclude that the businesswoman doesn’t see her the way other people do. She treats people like she has known them for years and it makes the idol feel so much more comfortable with someone like her. She probably could never hurt a fly even if she had to.  _ Maybe she’s just someone who likes to have fun? _ Nevertheless, Yves is always up for fun and thrill.

_ Jungiee is gonna kill me for this,  _ Chuu thinks to herself while she pours a variety of ingredients in the blending machine and prepares several plastic cups on the countertop as Yves watches her closely. “Take this.” She turns around and hands over a bottle of whipped cream to the celebrity.

Chuu continues to entertain the woman with her ‘barista skills’ which consist of making a lot of mess, which doesn’t fail to make Sooyoung laugh out loud.

After transferring different flavored drinks to their respective cups, all they have to do is top it with whipped cream. “Okay, go ahead and put as much whipped cream as your heart desires!” 

“Even if it overflows?” Yves asks jokingly and Chuu nods in agreement. However, the co-owner sees that the celebrity is struggling with figuring out how to continuously add it to the beverage.

“Here, let me help you.” Chuu insists, placing her hands on top of hers at such a close distance from one another. 

Yves is caught off guard, but her eyes are staring right at hers while the girl assists her and somehow, just somehow, her heart skips a beat.

***

The lights are off, the blinds are closed, the room is dark and Hyunjin is curled up in her bedsheets, falling asleep after silent hours of crying alone. All she did after that call with her mother was take the longest shower ever. She hasn’t even eaten dinner, she hasn’t had the appetite even after burning hundreds of calories during her training. If she had a choice right now, she would probably choose to hibernate for the rest of her life.

Although she tries to go back to sleep, her phone’s ringtone stops her from doing so and her heavy, swollen eyes open slowly. She groans from exhaustion, allowing herself a few seconds to pick her phone up from the bedside table. 

The redhead squints her eyes to read the caller id from the bright screen. When her vision clears up, she suddenly sits up by reflex. 

Heejin? Why is she calling? 

She’s confused, but nonetheless, she quickly accepts it to find out. “Hello?” 

She waits for a reply, but all she hears is an abnormal breathing pattern and a moment later there’s a deafening scream that honestly hurts her eardrum.

“Heejin? Heejin! Heejin?!” 

Hyunjin is more than just panicking, she’s in distress, completely abandoning her feelings and dramatic personal life on the side. It’s like she was a witness to something horrible and she’s afraid that Heejin might be in trouble.

She keeps an attentive ear while the call is left ongoing and she swears she can hear a man’s voice. It’s deep and husky, maybe the voice of a professional hitman if she could describe it. She can’t really be sure, but all she cares about is to know is whether Heejin is okay or not. That’s all she asks for. Finally, Hyunjin can hear a shaky feminine voice from the other end of the line.

“H-Hyunjin, h-hello?”

“Oh  _ thank god _ you’re alive.” The fansite says under her breath as she falls back to her bed after hearing Heejin’s voice. “What happened? Are you hurt? Who were you with just now?

“I-I’m okay…” the idol pauses, making the redhead concerned for a moment “...my bodyguard gave me a jump scare, that’s all.” The brunette says, seemingly trying her best to calm herself down after being startled.

Hyunjin’s instincts can sense that something is wrong by the way she talks, but maybe she’s just overthinking the little details so she decides to let it go. She doesn’t want to intrude into her personal life after all. “Oh... I’m glad you’re fine. I was worried for a sec.” she brushes it off, “By the way, why did you call?” 

The redhead waits for a response to sort out her confusion. Who would expect an idol to call them without knowing the reason behind it? Honestly, Hyunjin did feel anxious at first, seeing a celebrity dial her up, but nevertheless, she knows that she hasn’t done anything wrong. The silence grows painfully long, making her think that maybe she could have reworded that better. “W-Wait I didn’t mean to sound mean, I––”

“No, you didn’t sound mean!” she gets immediately cut off. “I-I was supposed to ask you  _ uhh _ ..” 

“Ask me what?” The fansite says slowly as she notices that Heejin seems to be nervous or embarrassed about something when  _ she _ should in fact be the one in that state. 

“I-If you are going to be in the cafe anytime soon! Haha!”

_ Cafe?  _ Hyunjin talks to herself. “Why? What’s up with the caf––” she stops herself from speaking any further when she realizes she’s been asking too many questions as if this was like an interview. She obviously doesn’t want to bombard the brunette with her curiosity, but at the same time, she genuinely wants to know why she’s acting the way she is right now. 

“Nothing! Nothing! It’s just that.. Yves! Yes, Yves invited me to come with her and I-I was just wondering if you’d be there.” Heejin utters shyly.

Hyunjin doesn’t know whether she should feel on top of the world, shocked, or honored by what she just heard, but she clearly wouldn’t miss the chance to hang out with her favorite idol. Never in a million years would she forgive herself if she chose to refuse. What she does know now is the fact that the universe is on her side and she should make the most out of it too. “Sure, I’ll be there maybe tomorrow?” her soft, fragile voice from earlier transforms into a light and cheery one as she replies to Heejin.

“Wait, I’m not forcing you! You might be busy, you know?”

“Between the both of us, I think you’re the busy one here.” Hyunjin laughs for the first time after crying for hours. She’s pretty happy that Heejin called her, not just because her dreams are now turned into her reality, it’s because the brunette has the power to change up her mood in less than a millisecond. “Anyways, my schedule is pretty flexible and I’m always around doing fansite duties for you!’”

“Oh right!” The celebrity forgets that she’s actually talking to her fan, making the other girl chuckle. “Thank you for always providing pretty photos of me!” she says cutely and sincerely.

Hyunjin isn’t lying when she says her heart almost malfunctioned and brought her to her death.  _ She directly complimented me, _ she repeats over and over again in her head. “Just for you.” she giggles. “Anyways, it’s getting late and you’re probably tired. You should get some rest while you can!” 

“I will, thank you. Goodnight, Hyunjin. I hope you had a good day today, sweet dreams.”

Hyunjin clearly knows her day hasn’t been perfect, but thanks to the brunette, she could say it was a good day. She hopes that the idol knows how much Heejin’s words actually mean to her. Even if the celebrity said that during a Vlive, she would still succeed in lifting her spirits up despite the hardships and difficulties she has to go through alone. Now that she has the chance to return those feelings to the idol, she wants to do the same for her. “Whatever you did today, I hope you know that you’ve worked hard and we’re proud of you. Goodnight, Heejin. Have a safe flight tomorrow. Message me when you come by!

“That means a lot to me, I appreciate you Hyunjin. Please take care of yourself too, and _ uh _ yes! I will!” 

Moments after they bid their farewells, the call ends. Hyunjin lies back down on her bed while holding her phone on her chest, wiggling her legs rowdily from excitement. She’s flustered, pink hue spreading on her cheeks as she smiles, but who wouldn’t be?

However, part of her feels like this is too good to be true. She observed how many times Heejin stuttered throughout the conversation and it seemed so unlike her to do so. As she tries to piece things together, her stomach growls loudly to interrupt her thought process

_ ‘Please take care of yourself too.’ _

A daily reminder stuck in Hyunjin’s head, remembering the brunette’s exact words. Thanks to her, she has enough energy to stand up and go make something in the kitchen. 

***

Heejin is currently waiting for the company van to pick her and her luggage up while subtly waving at the media and her fansites a few meters away from where she’s standing. She isn’t particularly in the mood right now and she definitely doesn’t have to be all the time. This time her arm is wrapped around Haseul’s for some kind of comfort and safety ever since yesterday’s unlucky series of events. 

Honestly, her feelings towards the director haven't changed. She’s still upset yet at the same time, her blood boils whenever she thinks of how he treated her and the staff around him. In terms of the creepy guy following her, she isn’t completely certain if she just misunderstood his body language; but she has never been wrong about a person. One thing for sure is that she isn’t going anywhere alone anymore.

As the brunette’s train of thoughts spirals around her mind, she stops for a moment when she feels something off about the crowd in front of her. It’s something that would probably be barely noticeable to any other person, but surely not to her.

_ Where’s Hyunjin? _

That’s the first question she asks herself. It’s not that the redhead is always required to be wherever she is, but being able to talk with the girl last night, she somehow expected her to show up.

Now that she’s thought of Hyunjin, she feels bad about having lied to her, especially since she’s been nothing but supportive of her. However, being an idol, she doesn’t want the fansite to worry about anything. It may seem stereotypical, but she has to act strong in order to give strength to others as well. She wants to be a celebrity she herself would look up to as well.

Although come to think of it, she doesn’t have much to do today anyway, and meeting up with Hyunjin again wouldn’t be so bad. She can definitely spend more time with her and keep her word. 

_ However, she should really tell Sooyoung about this... _

The second she’s out of everyone’s sight and has settled down on the leather seats, she finds a comfortable position and proceeds to contact Sooyoung.

“Hello?“

“Soo, I gotta tell you something!” Heejin starts the conversation with her exhausted voice.

“I have to tell you something too like _ oh my gooood _ !!” Sooyoung catches the brunette’s attention as she oddly delivers her words with so much energy despite it being so early in the morning. 

“What happened?” Heejin asks, confused about why she’s so worked up. 

_ “I think I’m in love.”  _ The older celebrity whispers, following with a loud squeal after that makes Heejin back away from her phone.

The brunette isn’t surprised by her best friend’s statement, but she is curious. “Who is it this time? Last time it was when you met Rosé during your promotions, then before that was Chaeyeon from that viral dance performance video.”

“ _ Chuu. Kim Jiwoo.” _

Heejin pauses to facepalm, knowing how much of a flirt Sooyoung actually is. She would probably rank first on the gayest of the gay if she had a list. “You literally just met her like  _ twice _ , how can you be so sure-“

“Look, we were making all her favorite drinks from the menu but we ended up playing around with whipped cream. If that isn’t love at first sight, then I don’t know what is.” Sooyoung narrates it in the most magical way as if she were a children’s storyteller.

“I literally told you to stay away from getting diabetes...”Heejin scoffs at her.

“Ok, sure you told me to avoid it, but you never told me to avoid getting a potential girlfriend,” Sooyoung speaks as if she had just outsmarted her, but Heejin just sighs on the other side of the phone especially since she knows Sooyoung wouldn’t back down from a woman she likes. “Also what did you want to say? Are you still disappointed from yesterday?” she switches into a more serious tone.

“Yeah...” The brunette remembers once again, making her clench her fist and purse her lips for a split second. “...  _ but this is different _ .”

“Okay. Shoot.” The celebrity readies herself and listens attentively.

“When are you coming back to Chuu’s cafe?”

Sooyoung actually didn’t expect such a question since it was so out of the blue, but she replies “Tonight, maybe?”

“Perfect I’m coming with.” The younger idol lets her best friend know that it’s been decided.

“Huh, why?” The celebrity is confused, but she finds a way to play with Heejin. ”I bet you wanna witness how good I am at talking to girls—“

“ _ No… _ Anyways, it’s because of Hyunjin — I’ll explain it later. I’m kinda tired so I’m gonna pass out now.” Heejin rushes and shuts Sooyoung down, leaving her no choice but to comply.

“I see, I see… I guess you’re trying to shoot your shot too huh?” Sooyoung teases her, thinking that the girl has the same intentions as she does. Maybe this is what they call “best friend goals” after all.

“What?” Heejin reacts, wanting to know if she heard that correctly (even though she knows she did).

“Nothing. Go rest. Byeeee.” Sooyoung tells her without stopping to breathe in and eventually ends the call abruptly.

_ Sheesh, she’s so weird... _

  
  


***

  
  


“What do you mean? It’s the _ best _ ice cream flavor on the face of the planet.” Chuu defends her opinion while the Jung siblings look at her with disgust painted over their faces.

“Mint chocolate is basically edible toothpaste, unnie,” Yerim argues with the co-owner, somehow always against Chuu and her personal tastes. She doesn’t _ hate _ it as much as others, but she would rather have her mints and chocolate eaten separately, the same goes for her older sister.

“It’s _ literally _ so weird.” the blonde says while she helps wipe countertops and organize the food presented in front.

Although this is light teasing for fun, Chuu knows how to bite back playfully. “Says the one who puts milk first instead of cereal.” She says as she rolls her eyes and redirects the conversation somewhere else. The first time she knew about Jinsoul’s habit was back in high school, every time they felt like hanging out after school hours. Up to this day, the blonde has never changed.

“Okay, yeah that’s true.” Yerim agrees without hesitation, as she takes a step closer to Chuu, receiving a side hug from the girl. “Sorry unnie, I’m disowning you, I can’t be sisters with a criminal.”   


“Hey! Hear me out...” Jinsoul pouts feeling defeated when she sees the smile on both of their faces. As she attempts to go through them, it’s more like she’s talking to a thick brick wall when they start making noises to drown her reasons. On the other hand, her girlfriend and Hyunjin just stare at them from their positions a few meters away, unbothered at this point in their shared lives together.

“There they go again.” The fellow co-owner pushes the seats toward the table while Hyunjin helps with the mopping. 

“As always.” the redhead pauses to lean her head on the wooden stick for a second before going back to finish her voluntary work. 

“Anyways Hyun, aren’t you tired? Didn’t you come from football practice?” Jungeun asks since she knows how important this is for the girl. 

“No.” Hyunjin talks in a low voice, keeping her head down while she cleans the floor uninterrupted. All of her memories from yesterday play back and echo through her mind. Apparently, she slept through all her alarms because of how exhausted she was, mentally and physically. The moment she woke up, she immediately checked her phone just to find out that not only did she miss Heejin’s arrival at the airport, but also her training schedule. She figured that maybe she’ll use most of the day to take a break and recover as much as she can before coming to the cafe. Although she does wonder if Heejin was disappointed that she wasn’t there. “I woke up late today.” she says, faking a laugh. 

“Oh, why did you come here so suddenly then?” Jungeun throws a follow-up question, especially since Hyunjin arrived here out of nowhere at 9  _ p.m  _ right as they were about to close.

“ _ Uh _ , I’m meeting up with someone.” She says softly, finishing her last patch of tiles. Now that she thinks of it, she still hasn’t fully understood why Heejin seemed so nervous talking to her last night despite the first time she met, where she looked very amused with her surprise. 

“Ooooh,  _ who is this someone _ ?” Jungeun says as she leans closer to the younger girl, shooting her a mischievous gaze. 

Hyunjin takes a step back, not because she doesn’t want to tell her, but because she doesn’t believe that it’s her right to expose the celebrity’s secret unless it’s her decision to reveal herself. Even though the idol has disclosed her identity to her, it still hasn’t sunk in.  _ Being friends with Jeon Heejin? Unreal _ , she thinks to herself. Additionally, it kind of makes her feel excited to see how the couple would react when they come in.

In the redhead’s eyes, she has always seen Jungeun as an older sister along with Jinsoul and Chuu. She doesn’t have any siblings and they had always been there for her ever since she was young. Plus, the woman has always been good at taking care of her and Yerim by giving advice and protecting them in other ways they can’t do themselves. 

Jungeun redirects her gaze and tilts her body to peek through the window behind Hyunjin. “I guess I’ll find out for myself,” she says as she sees an expensive looking car drive in the parking lot. She sees a tall silhouette approaching the entrance, but she realizes how loud and unaware the other three girls are. “Guys tone it down, would you?” she exclaims to interrupt their argument regarding pineapples on pizza, but eventually grabbing their attention abruptly.

The moment their eyes turned towards the door, the cafe lights seemed to shine upon the beautiful woman, leaving everyone stunned except for Chuu who squeals from excitement. “ **_Yves?!”_ ** Jinsoul, Jungeun, and Yerim unconsciously blurt out, leaving the celebrity to flinch.

Sooyoung smiled and gave a small wave to everyone in the room until she met with the familiar eyes of Heejin’s dear fansite. “Oh, Hyunjin! Hi!” she greets, making the three older women stare at her confusingly with their jaws dropped on the ground, probably trying to figure out how Yves casually knows Hyunjin’s name like she has said it a thousand times. 

“H-Hi…” the redhead stutters while everyone looks at her, mostly frozen in their position, but Chuu comes up to her and proceeds to hook her arm onto Sooyoung’s arm.

“Everyone meet Yves! She’s our special customer!” Chuu announces grandly but quickly lowers her voice for a moment to whisper to Sooyoung’s ear. “Since you met Yerim and somehow know Hyun for some reason, that over there is Jungeun, my best friend and fellow co-owner and over there is Jinsoul, Yerim’s older sister and my best friend’s girlfriend… who’s a mint chocolate hater and puts milk before cereal, but you aren’t ready for that conversation are you?” She looks at Sooyoung as she is about to answer, but cuts her off to continue spitting out words. “ **_Alright!_ ** Let’s take a seat, shall we?” Chuu pulls her and she follows willingly since her heart flutters with her bright smile and soft touch. While everyone gathers on one of the long tables, Hyunjin looks back to check the windows, waiting for her favorite idol to come in as well. 

“Hyunjin if you’re looking for Heejin, she’s probably just outside....” the celebrity smirks and winks, leaving the fansite confused and flustered at the same time.

Hyunjin can see all the reactions from her peripherals and she surely has some explaining to do now that the fact that Heejin knows her as well has been exposed. “O-Okay, I’ll head out and meet her there, thanks Y-Yves!” she says with a shaky voice. 

As the fansite leaves the room along with unanswered questions from the rest, she skips through the staircases and slowly walks towards Sooyoung’s car where she hears a car door close. “Hey, Heejin? Sooyoung said you might be her––” she bites her tongue when the first thing she sees is Heejin’s slightly puffy eyes and red nose that she's trying to pat with a handkerchief. 

The idol turns around quickly, hiding her vulnerability from her. “Ahhh! Hyunjin, I’m sorry!” She nervously laughs as she wipes the handkerchief across her cheeks

“A-Are you okay?” Hyunjin asks worryingly, reaching her hand towards her shoulder to comfort her, but she remembers how she’s not just anyone she could do that to. She doesn’t want her to feel much more uncomfortable than this. “I didn’t mean to—“

“No, no it’s okay! Let’s go in.” She tries to fake a smile and walk past Hyunjin, but the fansite grips her wrist out of reflex, taking her by surprise.

_ “Wait!”  _

Hyunjin blinks when she sees Heejin staring at her as she didn’t notice what she has done.“Y-You don’t have to go in if you don’t want to.” she says. Heejin doesn’t reply and it eventually comes to her senses that she’s holding onto her wrist. She lets go immediately, embarrassed, and regretful when she literally reminded herself moments ago. She distances herself a few steps away from her and begins to break the awkwardness “Uh, I have an idea. Just stay here and take a breather okay?”

Heejin nods as Hyunjin runs back upstairs and barges into the cafe as if she were in a rush. The celebrity takes her advice and sits down on the small sidewalk to calm herself down and depuff her face.

After a couple of minutes, Heejin hears a couple of footsteps approaching her as well as a familiar aroma that grows richer and stronger as it gets closer. She lifts her head up, only for her to see the redhead handing her one cup of the freshly brewed coffee she’s carrying.

“I’m not sure if you like coffee, but this one’s my favorite! It’s an americano.” The fansite says, trying her best to cheer Heejin up. “I made sure it’s decaf since I don’t want you to have trouble sleeping tonight.”

This time, Heejin is the one speechless. A pink hue covers her cheeks as she melts with the redhead’s kind gesture. The idol hasn’t even known Hyunjin for a long time, but somehow the redhead makes her feel like she does.  _ “It’s my favorite too _ , thank you, Hyun.” She says shyly as she takes the beverage from her, lightly brushing her fingertips.

_ Hyun. _

The fansite pauses when her favorite celebrity calls her by her nickname, making her heart flutter, but she manages to restrict herself from making a fool out of herself and gives her a warm smile. She proceeds to stand up and offers a hand as she asks Heejin a question.

“Why don’t we take a walk? I know a place nearby where we can stay for a while. I go there sometimes whenever I feel down, maybe it’ll make you feel a little better.” Hyunjin insists sweetly, waiting for the girl to respond.

“I’d love to.” Heejin smiles as she accepts by placing her hand on top of Hyunjin’s.

  
  


***

  
  


The sound of blenders, clinking metal, and water running from the sink fills the room as Yerim multitasks behind the scenes of serving everyone their orders. The four other women are on their seats, Chuu sitting next to Yves and Jungeun next to Jinsoul. 

The couple honestly can’t believe their eyes that Yves, one of the most successful women in the music industry, is right in front of their eyes, laughing over Jiwoo’s stories that come with her bubbly and talkative personality. While they surely are shocked and slightly awkward, they take the opportunity to join in their conversation as well.

“Since when did you guys know each other?” Jungeun asks. She has never heard about the celebrity from her best friend nor has she seen them together in a picture, knowing Jiwoo is very open to sharing everything about her life and posting photos in her social media.

“Let’s just say—“ Sooyoung is about to answer when Chuu overpowers her.

**_“I almost ran her over_ ** _!” _

“Jiwoo, why do you want to go to jail  _ that bad”  _ Jinsoul questions her, not comprehending how her brain works.

“Jiwoo, I think you look good in orange.” The girlfriend of the blonde follows up afterward.

“The J in Jiwoo basically stands for jail time,” Yerim shouts from the other side of the room, making Yves contain her laughter as her Chuu’s friends drag to the ground her with their words.

“But we met by coincidence when Heejin told me to drive over to the cafe a few days ago... and speaking of her, she isn’t here yet… eh, it’s okay she’s probably with Hyunjin anyway.”

“Wait, how do you guys know Hyunjin?” Jungeun forgot to ask her earlier, but it’s probably the right time to do so.

In the eyes of the three older women who have seen the redhead grow up, she has never been that outgoing to the point she has connections to celebrities, she has always been the one who kept a close circle and a few friends who she could trust, but it doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of it. 

“Oh, Heejin was the one who picked up her phone when she dropped it.” The idol responds, explaining how it all began. However, she catches everyone’s attention in the latter part of her sentence. “But mostly because she’s also Heejin’s fansite…”

“ **_A fansite?!”_ ** Chuu exclaims, really excited to hear that for some apparent reason.

“I’m honestly  _ so  _ jealous of Heejin. She really got the best fansite out there. Can you imagine she gave her a bunch of expensive gifts a-and even named a moon after her!” Sooyoung rambles as the other women are losing their minds, especially the energetic co-owner who is at the edge of her seat already. She exposes each of the presents delivered in front of the company by the redhead and even if Chuu, Jungeun, and Jinsoul knew how rich she is, they never saw her spoil someone this much.

The blonde whispers while looking down onto space, feeling betrayed with this newfound information “The way she didn’t give me a single gift on my birthday because she forgot about it…” 

“Though the first time, I saw her was in Heejin’s first fansign for her album,” Sooyoung mentions, still unaware how she just exposed the fansite’s little secret.

“Yerim, did you know this?” Jungeun turns her back to the purple-haired girl as the rest follows to look at her. 

“N-No...” She says nervously as she continues to finish up the rest of the plating and beverages. When they all return to their conversation, she breathes “Maybe…”

“How about you? Do you have an album?” Chuu bends her body towards the idol, making Sooyoung blush a bit on her cheeks.

“Oh yeah, I forgot you don’t know much about me _ hahaha _ ” she scratches her head and tries to avoid eye contact from those sweet eyes of hers.

“Jiwoo, she literally collaborated with Chungha a few months ago…” Jungeun mentions.

“ **_Wah! You know Chungha?!”_ ** Chuu squeals even higher than before, surprisingly not taking a toll on Sooyoung’s hearing abilities (yet).

Both of the co-owners are  _ obsessed _ with Chungha, especially the blonde’s girlfriend. She would play her whole discography with no skips, plus she very well knows the dances to her title tracks

“Yeah, we’re labelmates… but I am working on my new album!” She tries her best not to spoil much about her hard work. “it’s just taking a little longer since my music producer and I don’t get along that well but other than that it’s mainly because we don’t share the same vision for this album.”

Everyone is listening as well as Yerim who is carrying a tray full of beverages and desserts towards them. “Well, you have a music producer right in front of you!” She says, distributing their food around respectively. “Am I right, unnie.” She pats the blonde’s back a little bit too hard.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” Sooyoung’s face brightens up, drowning in curiosity as to how Jinsoul’s creations sound like.

“W-Wait, I’m not a professional!“ the blonde panics as she’s put on the spot. Although she has been composing and producing music ever since her college days, she hasn’t necessarily stepped in any professional career path nor shared it to the world using youtube or SoundCloud.

“C’mon babe, no need to be shy.” Her girlfriend comforts her by giving her a reassuring smile while rubbing circles on her hand.

“Jungiee! Show Yves  _ that  _ recording!!” Chuu enthusiastically and persistently insists her best friend go through her phone’s voice memos.

Usually, since the three friends sing exceptionally with such a large vocal range, Jinsoul would always invite them to sing her songs or sing with her at the very least. Most of the time, it would always be her girlfriend, given that they’re often with each other and because Jungeun is the one who pushed her to try it out. The blonde knows how much influence her partner has rubbed on her and she will forever be grateful for that no matter what.

When it comes to music, Sooyoung’s whole aura, and behavior changes. She’s quiet yet attentive, taking note of bits and pieces in a track like how the lyrics are written, how the instruments blend, and how the emotion and tone in a singer’s voice are expressed. She knows what she looks for and she’s obviously very picky, but she isn’t brutally honest when she has to criticize someone’s hard work.

She then proceeds to put the phone’s speaker next to her ear, taking a deep breath in while everyone anticipates for reaction, though she’s too focused to even notice the apprehension in their eyes, especially Jinsoul. 

“So, what do you think?” Yerim builds up the courage to ask for feedback instead of the blonde who is clearly squeezing her girlfriend’s hand tightly.

_ “ _ I-It’s named  _ ‘Love Letter’ _ ... I just kind of thought of it right now.” Jinsoul nervously laughs as all of them are unable to eat and drink the food in front of them, waiting for her opinion.

The celebrity returns the phone politely first before speaking up her thoughts. She looks down dramatically  _ “That was amazing! The beat, the ad-libs, everything was perfect! Are you sure you’re not a professional?!” _ She switches back with sparkles in her eyes, astounded with just one recording. She thinks of how many more songs she hasn’t heard yet. 

Jinsoul blushes from the compliment and looks at Jungeun who is giving her so much reassurance that Yves is telling the truth. Now everyone gets to have a bite of their food, after a moment of anxiety, giving them a little break to breathe.

“That was just one song, what more if you have more!” The idol says after taking a bite of a donut, somewhat speechless and impressed with her talent.

“She does have more!” Chuu continues the conversation, grabbing Sooyoung’s attention. “I sang in a few of her songs as well!” 

“You sing too?” The idol pauses, interested to hear her voice. She wonders if it would be as sweet as how she talks or chaotic like her personality, but she would never know if she never asks. “Am I allowed to hear it?”

They both look at Jinsoul and receive a go signal from her. Just like a while ago, the same process goes for Chuu, and well, Sooyoung isn’t keeping a straight face this time.

_ She’s smiling like an idiot... _

She doesn’t know why it’s driving her crazy, but there’s just something about Chuu that makes her special. Is it her personality, her voice, the food that she might’ve put a spell on to make her feel this way? She doesn’t know, but one thing for sure is that she wants to get to know her more.

“You’re beautiful.” She blurts out and everyone including Chuu is stunned, only making Sooyoung realize what she said.“I mean your voice is beautiful. I mean you’re beautiful, but your voice is also beautiful––  _ Ahhh! _ ” She curls from embarrassment.

“Thank you!” Chuu tilts her head and gives her a toothy smile.

“So, Jinsoul…” the idol tries to change the topic as soon as she can to end the awkwardness “Why don’t you apply in ViVi Entertainment? I’ll recommend you to the CEO personally!”

“I-I don’t know about tha—“

“Hell yeah! You can quit your job and I can finally accept you back to the family!” Yerim cheers on and celebrates by shaking Jinsoul’s shoulders.

Jungeun rubs Jinsoul’s hand to show her support to whatever decision the blonde will go with and whispers gently “You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to, baby.” 

“I’ll leave it up for you to decide! I’ll be coming back every so often anyways. You can update me then!” Sooyoung informs her, indirectly telling her not to worry about it. “For now, I think it's time for me to take pictures of these for my Instagram.” 

“Huh? You’re not even halfway through the menu.” Chuu utters shockingly.

It’s true that they aren’t even halfway and if she disregards the whole deal, how can she see Chuu more often right? Although free food is amazing and all, she really does think her abs will disappear in a matter of days and develop an unhealthy diet which she doesn’t want. She doesn’t think her stomach and blood pressure can take it.

“I loved everything and I’m sure I’ll love everything that you make, Chuu and it’s enough reason for me to advertise it.” Sooyoung sincerely talks at the bottom of her heart. 

“Just for you, I’ll do this little favor..” She smirks and winks and she takes a picture.

***song***

The night breeze feels cold as it gently blows on their skin, but the warm coffee encased within their curled fingertips balances it out. It’s been a quiet, yet peaceful walk for Heejin and Hyunjin where no one dares to utter a word nor make eye contact.

Though in the idol’s eyes, the silence is comforting, almost therapeutic if that makes any sense. She’s walking at the same pace as the redhead, but somehow it seems like it’s because the fansite is slowing down her speed for her.

Maybe a chilly night along with her favorite drink in her hand and some company is what she needed to clear her thoughts from her heart-to-heart talk with Sooyoung. It’s been a while since she has been this emotional, more so seen fragile by someone else, but Hyunjin doesn’t bombard her with concern instead, she just stays by her side and continues to walk.

As she follows her while keeping her head down as she kicks a few pebbles on the sidewalk, the redhead eventually pauses, making her lift her head up to look at her.

“We’re here.” The fansite says calmly.

The brunette looks from a distance and is flabbergasted by the most beautiful view she has seen in such a long time. From the bright colored light reflecting in her eyes to the waves from the vast body of water flowing elegantly under the moonlight, it's more than enough to know she’s staring at none other than the Han River.

Heejin proceeds to climb up some stairs to the stairs of the platform where the railings are to get a clearer view of what seems like a dream. “Woah! It’s so beautiful.” She says as she takes out her phone to snap a few photos.

“You’ve never been here?” Hyunjin catches up from behind and joins her at the railings, looking in the same direction as the brunette as they watch boats pass by. 

“I have, but so many things have changed since then!” she breathes out and rests her head on the railings.

“When was the last time?” the redhead asks her but Heejin doesn’t look away from admiring the view in front of her. Rather, she looks far into the distance to find an answer.

“I’m pretty sure it was before I became a trainee,” she replies with a gentle tone as she turns her head to smile at the redhead. “ I never really skipped a day at work up ‘till now, not even when I was sick.” she straightens her back and leans on the railings as she talks to her. 

Just as expected, Hyunjin is surprised as much as she is. She clearly knows how long the idol has trained under ViVi Entertainment and she can see how hardworking she is when it comes to her career. However, she does find it sad that she has never gotten a proper break to herself.

“I didn't even notice how much time flew by...” Heejin looks down “I guess that’s how much I wanted to debut.” she laughs and smiles even wider with eyes that turn into crescents. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile as well when she sees Heejin’s mood change ever since she brought her there. “They should really give you a break or maybe some time for yourself,” she says before taking a sip from her americano, as they face the river once more. 

“I love what I’m doing, Hyunjin… and I just debuted less than a year ago!” Heejin exclaims, finding it absurd to stop her momentum. “... I don’t think I deserve one  _ just _ yet.” 

“The life of an idol must really be fun, huh?” 

As Heejin was about to agree, something in her mind takes her back for a moment, draining the color of her face and twinkle in her eyes. “Y-Yeah, it’s fun.” she sighs then taking another sip from her drink, but somehow it tastes more bitter in her palate. 

“Well, that didn’t sound convincing…” Hyunjin pouts as she starts to worry a little when she notices that something surely is bothering the brunette.

“It just gets really hard sometimes.” She mumbles as she vividly remembers each moment she has struggled in the course of her career.

“ _ The harsh words,” _

From all the people who never believed in her, all the people who threw unnecessary hate under her comments, all the people who invalidated all her efforts.

_ “The disappointment,” _

Not just from people she barely knows of, but from her loved ones and especially herself.

_ “The exhaustion” _

The tears running down her cheeks, or the soreness aching all over her body, or maybe even the early morning get-ups. She enumerates slowly, feeling her heart get crushed word after word. 

“And I––” her voice cracks while her eyes water again, wiping it immediately. “Sorry!”

Hyunjin’s heart breaks more. She has never seen any less of a happy face from her favorite artist and never wished to see her in this state either, trying to mask her feelings before the cameras. She wonders how many other celebrities are going through the same things as she is. She couldn’t handle seeing her this way, so she did what she needed to do and what her gut told her to do.

_ Hug her.  _

“You don’t have to tell me…” she wraps her arms around her carefully “but I’ll be here to listen if you feel comfortable telling me.” 

As awkward as it is, she decided to go for it, even if it means to make a fool out of herself. To the redhead, Heejin gave all the strength and motivation she could give and she has always been a safe place for all her fans, knowing that she knew this is the only opportunity she could return it all back to her. “I hope this is okay.”

Heejin doesn’t know who Hyunjin really is, her past, her whole personality, but knowing that she’s a genuine fan of hers, she feels connected to her as much as fansite does. 

She warmly accepts her embrace and it almost seems like a perfect hug where it fits like puzzle pieces that go together. The cold breeze that brushes their skin and gusts through their hair doesn’t affect the feeling of coziness and tenderness there is between them. 

Once Hyunjin lets go of her, she distances herself and starts to apologize. “I’m sorry for touching on a sensitive topic and making you cry.”

“No, it’s not your fault!” The brunette assures her. “I’ve just been very emotional lately.” She says as she proceeds to walk to the bench that overlooks the river. 

Hyunjin gives her 100% attention when she notices Heejin choosing the right words to say. The redhead watches her sit down as she stays behind along the railing with the nearly-empty cup of coffee in her hand.

“I’ve worked with many people in the span of a few months and I’ve been grateful to have met them, but recently in Jeju, I’ve learned that not every time, someone will appreciate and be pleased with your performance. Someone is bound to drag you down when all you want to do is succeed.” 

Heejin starts to open up about the incident since the redhead would worry even more if she didn’t know. On the other hand, the longer the idol speaks, the more she understands why she was acting all weird that night, or so she thought.

“But honestly, we’re just as human as everybody else. We cry, we laugh, we make mistakes. What separates us is the fact that all the eyes and cameras are on me.  _ Every second, every moment.”  _

Although Heejin knew what she signed up for. Hyunjin can’t help but sympathizes with her. She personally can’t even imagine how much pressure and overthinking she has to go through every day.

“Once I mess up, the news spreads around and everyone criticizes you…The only choice you have left is to suck it up so no one worries or hurts you more and that’s my reality now.”

Hyunjin is left speechless in her place, but she manages to find the words she has been meaning to say. “I may not be an idol, but I felt that very deeply. I could never be as strong as you, but you show us what it means to be strong in our own ways. I want to tell you that you have helped so many people including me when we were at our lowest and I hope that we can help you too.”

Somehow Heejin can see how similar they are to one another, but unfortunately, it’s how they’re good at hiding their feelings behind their words. If she wasn’t good at picking up hints, she would’ve never noticed

Before the brunette gets to ask about the questions that run in her mind, Hyunjin cuts her off. “I hope you feel better now”

As she thinks about it, she does feel like the remaining burden on her shoulders is gone. ”I do, thanks to you!” she hops back up to where the redhead is and continues “...and this whole place! Man, I wish I could visit more places like this.” 

The conversation shifts into a lighter topic, moving past the gloomy atmosphere. They both return to their usual selves and watch the car lights from the bridge.

“During your free days, maybe? When you get one, I mean” Hyunjin says in hopes that she does get one.

“Well, I usually stay at home and watch anime since I can’t really walk around in broad daylight without being approached…” Heejin admits without being afraid of mentioning her interests. Personally, she feels like the whole talk they had earlier made them closer, not just as an idol and fan but as friends.

“Right…” the redhead runs off, feeling dumb for not considering that factor. The brunette is known nationwide, after all, it wouldn’t be safe to go around in public spaces whenever she wants to. “Well, let’s just say you were invisible for a day, where would you want to go?”

“Hmm…” Heejin lists all the possibilities she could think of in a matter of seconds, slightly bringing some sort of excitement rushing in her veins. “Anywhere that makes me happy.”

“Anywhere?” the fansite repeats.

“Yeah..” Heejin nods to solidify her answer. She definitely can see herself enjoying the cinema or going around the city as long as she finds joy in it and she  _ definitely _ doesn’t need a ton, for her to be content and happy.

_ “Let’s go then.” _

The idol turns instinctively out of shock.“W-What?” she utters, confused by her sudden courage and confidence.

Hyunjin slowly faces her and lets off a soft smile “I’m granting you your wish” 

“Are you my personal genie or something?” The celebrity giggles, thinking that Hyunjin is nowhere near serious until she challenges her.

“Why won’t you find out?” She puts on a smug face with her arms out wide as if she’s presenting herself as a magical and mighty creature.

“Okay, okay, where do we go next, oh powerful Hyun-genie” Heejin continues to act out as well, both sharing a laugh afterward with how cringey and weird they are.

The brunette finds it so refreshing to feel so open to someone, where you don’t seem to pretend to be any less of yourself and she finds it even better to click with someone in a matter of weeks. 

_ She’s glad she has gone through the most unexpected things just to be able to meet Hyunjin, she really is. _

_ “ _ I’ll take care of that, no worries! All you have to do is text me whenever you’re free, or...” The redhead starts to build up suspense as she pauses “... if you ever lose your mind and you want to sneak out.” She deepens her voice but quickly switches it in a second “Just kidding, I might be accused of kidnapping you.”

Heejin stares at Hyunjin meticulously, with her arms crossed and a tilted head. She looks at her quietly, making the fansite nervous from the growing silence.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that?” the redhead stutters.

“You really are full of surprises aren’t you, Kim Hyunjin.” She compliments her, then proceeds to walk towards the trash bin to throw her empty cup.

Afterward, they both hear a notification ring from her pocket. Hyunjin goes back to admire the river to give her some privacy. Just like Heejin’s guess, it’s none other than Sooyoung.

**Sooyoung** : I think I accidentally exposed Hyunjin as your fansite…

“Oh no…” the brunette covers her lips with her fist as she gives her fansite an apologetic look.

Hyunjin’s anxiousness peaks up when she tries to read the girl’s mind “What is it?” she asks, also coincidentally receiving a text as well and this time it’s from Chuu.

**Chuu :** HYUN ARE YOU GOING OUT WITH HEEJIN IN A GAY WAY?!?!?!?! :DDDDD

“I think we should head back,” Heejin suggests as she takes a few steps towards the stairs.

“I-I think so too.” Hyunjin follows, putting her phone back where it originally was.

As the fansite approaches her, Heejin’s world stops for a moment. She finds herself stunned by the moonlight shining on Hyunjin and the colorful lights illuminating from the view behind her, permanently ingraining it in her mind.

_ She couldn’t pinpoint what caught her eye, but she knew she wanted to keep this memory forever. _

Little did she know, Hyunjin was already in front of her, waving her hand to check if she’s okay, making her snap back to reality with a pink hue that is barely noticeable on her cheeks.

“Let’s go?” 

Heejin looks at her and smiles.

“Let's go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww, that's the end of the chapter! I really hope you liked it! We're moving on to the next parts so stay tuned! I have exams and applications to fill up so I might be busy huhu.. Also, I personally love reading your comments and ccs, so please do leave some! It keeps me going and helps me ease all my worries whenever I write <3 I'll try my best not to keep you guys waiting for too long! Stay safe everyone and take care of yourselves! 
> 
> \- B
> 
> (Twitter: @stanzbl)  
> (CuriousCat: @stanzbl)


	8. Risking the Consequences?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been awhile huh? I bet October was a crazy month for all of us HAHAHA,, anyways!! I’m back with a new chapter! As always, I hope you guys like this one! Enjoyy <3
> 
> \- B (@stanzbl)

A loose plain white polo tucked into boyfriend jeans with a pair of black Chuck Taylors for shoes. Heejin focuses on her reflection as she twists her body side-to-side, ironing out all the wrinkles from her clothes and applying a final touch-up on her make-up. She runs her fingers through her soft brunette hair and finishes up by adjusting the golden necklace laying conveniently on top of her collarbones. __

Today may be a special day for Heejin, but she’s been sticking to the same principles and beliefs ever since.

_ She likes to keep things simple,   
_ _ even if everything about her isn’t. _

As she tries to point out what else could be missing from her being any more perfect, the sound of her phone rings, bringing a bright smile to her face when she sees that it’s from the redhead.

**Hyunjin:** I’ll be there in a few!   
**Hyunjin:** there are too many stoplights here ㅠㅠ

The brunette hops on her loveseat, shaking her head because of how silly her complaint is. She gently puts away her phone and exhales deeply.

_ Something shifted ever since that night at the Han River. _

Although it all stemmed from the excuse Heejin made out of impulse, it definitely brought them closer to one another. What used to be a strict idol to fan relationship, is now more than what it seems to be.

_Heejin found safety_ _in Hyunjin._

Ever since she opened up to the fansite, she would always receive texts containing words of encouragement before and after her schedule. It might come off as annoying for some people, but not to the brunette. Yesterday was the most recent instance. 

_ As she was preparing to shoot for a special episode of Yerihan Bang, she looks over to the other side of the big glass window where her fansites are seated and sees Hyunjin pause to discreetly wave at her. _

_ After they both make eye contact, Heejin signals the redhead to check her phone by tapping her screen sneakily.  _

**_Heejin:_ ** _ hey guess who’s free next week! :DDD _

_ The idol looks at the fansite as she opens her inbox. Heejin has been trying to find time to accept the offer given to her that night since she really enjoyed Hyunjin’s company. However, what pushed her to take her offer was the thought that although she has shared her vulnerable side to someone she barely knows, she never actually learned anything about the fansite. The redhead may be open and sweet towards her, but she noticed how careful and mysterious she is. When she feels her phone vibrate, she immediately looks down to check.  _

**_Hyunjin:_ ** _ me :P _

_ Heejin tilts her head when she reads the sarcastic reply from the redhead. She stares at Hyunjin who’s smiling up to the point her eyes formed crescents.  _

**_Heejin_ ** _ : perfect!  _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : no, you _

_ Heejin finds herself caught off guard when the fansite replies with such unexpected words. It’s undeniable that their friendship is taking a few steps forward to the point where both girls are comfortable with jokes and random conversations, and this is definitely one of them. _

**_Heejin:_** _awwww are you calling me perfect?_

_ She patiently waits for the text bubbles to finish, not aware of the toothy smile on her face. However, it fades into a frown when it finally sends. _

**_Hyunjin_ ** _ : I mean you’re free next week :D _

_ Both of their eyes meet again and she clearly sees Hyunjin trying her best to contain her laughter.  _

_ Not too long after, Heejin hears the staff announcing that the shoot will begin shortly and is telling everyone to go to their respective places. Before she hands her phone back to Haseul, she takes one last look at the chatbox. _

**_Hyunjin:_ ** _ and yes you’re perfect but you should know that by now :P _

Heejin never thought someone as supportive as the redhead actually exists and sometimes she wonders what she has done to deserve someone like that. Though, that is the reason that keeps her going. _ She wants to return all the support from her fans by working even harder than before. _

Now, she can't help but feel excited and thrilled about where Hyunjin will take her. The girl probably knows where the hidden gems are within the city and is hoping she brings her there.

As she reminisces the thought of the past, a loud knock from the apartment door startles her. She hesitantly stands up and slowly leaves her phone on the countertop as she makes her way to the door. However, several quick beeps from the keypad unlocks it, shocking her frozen in her position

**_“HELLO? IS ANYBODY HOME?!”_ **

“Yeojin?” Heejin stands still, evidently confused as to how she figured out the code to her apartment when Sooyoung is the only person she has told it to. “H-How did you––?” she raises an eyebrow at the small, loud blonde in front of her.

“You know, It’s so easy to rob you when you have your birthday as your passcode.” The teen sasses as she makes herself comfortable in the idol’s apartment. 

_ Oh.  _ Heejin says under her breath as she follows behind her, slightly humiliated but at the same time, she isn’t surprised by the blonde's actions because somehow she knows a lot of things that she shouldn’t. “Anyways, what did you need so badly that made you barge into my apartment?” She asks while making their way to the kitchen.

Yeojin sits down on the tall stool and leans on the countertop “It was too hot outside and Hyejoo and Chae are taking  _ sooo _ long with our watermelon shakes… so here I am.” she explains, presenting herself grandly with her arms out to show her pretty face.

Heejin looks at the wall clock to see that it’s barely 12:00 _p.m_. “Aren’t they busy preparing for monthly evaluations?” the brunette questions Yeojin worryingly. 

Based on her experience from the past, trainees usually come home by 5 to 6  _ p.m _ every day, maybe even later in order to prepare for evaluations and considering how strict the company is with providing the proper training to aspiring idols, this is pretty serious if they get caught.

“Don’t worry, they performed earlier this morning…” Yeojin informs her while she steals an apple from a fruit basket on top of the table. “..and they don’t have any classes surprisingly––” 

The idol pauses to cut the girl when she hears the word ‘classes’. She sharply turns to the teen and overlaps her voice “ _ Wait. Don’t you have class?! _ It’s a weekday, wouldn’t you get detention?” she frets as she thinks of how her manager would have to drag her out of the principal’s office during work hours. 

Compared to Haseul, Yeojin is definitely the opposite. She has a powerful voice projection, a lot of tricks under her sleeve, and a careless personality. She’s a pure troublemaker. However, even if the manager was the one who basically nurtured her until she grew up, those two siblings share the closest bond she has ever seen. 

“ _ Me? _ ” she chokes on a laugh, confusing the idol. “No one would  _ dare  _ punish the student council president. I’ll be fine...” she brushes off as she takes another bite off the apple.

“Well, not unless Haseul-unnie finds out…” Heejin tries to play with the girl’s emotions by giving her an intimidating stare as she rests her chin on her hand. “...then,  _ you’re dead _ .” 

The color of Yeojin's face fades as her smile turns into a nervous one, feeling uncomfortable knowing that the brunette has the power to snitch on her at any moment. She may be known as a shameless and courageous person, but when it comes to her sister, she still has some sense of fear towards her. She doesn’t like causing her older sister any more trouble than she already has and she doesn’t want to anger the sleeping beast within her. 

“Kidding.” Heejin stops her teasing when she notices how much she scared the blonde through her eyes, so she goes back to the topic to ease her nerves. “Have you tried knocking on their door? Sooyoung might possibly wake up.” 

The other celebrity may not be a morning person, but she surely is a light sleeper because knocking and alarms wake her up easily, especially since she’s an idol with tight schedules. 

“Hyejoo told me she’s touring this new blonde chick around the company today.” Yeojin continues to chew on the apple while talking “I think she mentioned that she’s a new music producer for ViVi Ent.” 

**_“Ah! I can’t believe Jinsoul-unnie finally made up her mind_ ** !” she exclaims, shocking the blonde a little. “I should probably welcome her to the company when I see her around.” 

The room falls into a few seconds of silence when Yeojin’s phone lights up. Finally, her long-awaited update from the raven-haired trainee pops up on the screen. 

**Watermelon Thief :** otw

_ Well _ , three letters are enough to keep her sane at least… 

As she’s about to reply, Heejin interrupts her thought process and grabs her attention for a moment.

“Anyways, I have to go.” The celebrity picks up her bag from her couch and begins to walk toward the door. “Don’t forget to lock the door and  _ please,  _ please don’t break or burn my house while I’m gone,” she begs the girl to follow a few instructions from her, knowing how chaotic her ideas are when she’s bored. It wouldn’t be the first time the staff will have to go up to her unit to check if everything is okay, but she trusts Yeojin enough to behave by allowing her to get whatever snack she wants from her apartment. 

“I won’t stay here for too long, Hyejoo just texted me.” She attempts to show her phone, but the brunette seems to be too busy fixing her outfit to even look. “Where are you going?” Yeojin asks out of curiosity since it just occurred to her that the celebrity seems to be neater than usual, however, she can’t point out what’s new to her.

_ On the other hand, Heejin panics internally. _

The brunette was about to casually tell Yeojin, but she forgot how she’s literally her manager’s little sister, not to mention how loud her mouth can be whenever she feels like teasing someone. Although she may be free today, she  _ always _ has to ask permission or at least inform Haseul some way. However, she’s sure that if she told her that she’s letting her fansite drive her someplace she doesn’t know, she would’ve guarded her all day to make sure she doesn’t sneak off secretly.

Words almost slipped from her lips, but she doesn’t have that much time before the blonde gets suspicious so she says the first thing that pops up in her head “T-To work? Where else?” she nervously stutters and walks away, hoping the girl ignores it. she rushes to the door and waves her goodbye. 

The door shuts close and now Yeojin is all alone, with her arm awkwardly raised up to say bye. The brunette leaves so abruptly that she isn’t able to utter a single word. “ _ Sheesh  _ she’s so sus…” she whispers as she lowers her hand, and turns back to the countertop where her phone is supposed to be until she sees another phone laying near it. “And forgetful…” the blonde sighs.

Having an older sister as a manager under ViVi Entertainment, she knows how important it is for an idol or staff to have their phones at all times. Even if Yeojin is too lazy to go back down to hand it to her, her gut tells her to do the right thing for once. She hops down from the tall stool and quickly runs to the next elevator to go to the lobby. She taps her foot on the floor, wishing the elevator would go down faster so she could catch up to the celebrity. 

Once the doors have opened, she sprints out of the building to look for the idol. Rather than seeing the brunette, she finds herself looking at her two friends approaching her with an extra watermelon shake just for her. She turns her head in the opposite direction and finds Heejin going in a car she's unfamiliar with. The more she squints her eyes, the more she notices a girl with long red hair closing the door for the idol. 

_ Unnie that isn’t the way to the company…  _

“Hey, you owe us––” Chaewon gets cut off by the blonde who grabs them by the wrist, shocking both trainees from her odd behavior. 

Yeojin calls a taxi immediately and opens the door. “Get in.” She orders the other two teens who seem to resist until the blonde push them in, giving them no choice but to submit to her. 

“Watch it! I almost dropped my watermelon shake.” Hyejoo scarily bites back at Yeojin as they all scoot into the small taxi.

“This is kidnapping.” Chaewon complains in confusion “The PUBG Competition is starting in a few minutes…” the taller blonde pouts along with her secret girlfriend, but the blonde ignores their protests for a while as she instructs the driver to follow the car Heejin is in. “What is happeni––?” the trainee stops her sentence when the girl turns suddenly.

“Fellas! We have a phone to return...” Yeojin exclaims with an evil smirk painted on her face as she shows Heejin’s phone. “...and an investigation to attend to!” 

***

The past few days were stressful. From business calls, credit card payments, and desperate requests, Hyunjin has done it all. It was even more chaotic when she had to attend her training to prepare for her upcoming tryouts.

But after cramming everything into perfection, today is finally the day she has been preparing for her favorite idol and hopefully, it’d be a good surprise and adventure for her. 

The redhead made sure that they weren’t just going to coffee shops, cinema theaters, and park benches, she wanted to give her a good memory of what it’s like to have fun outside her career life.

She leans on her parked SUV on the corner as she admires the beautifully constructed tall white apartment building in front of her. The fansite takes her phone and sends her a text that she’s downstairs and proceeds to wait for a few minutes until a cheery brunette approaches her while waving excessively.

They greet each other like shy strangers all over again, the redhead bows nervously and the celebrity does as well. It is way more different when they put their passions aside and regard each other as friends rather than an idol and a fan. It feels like new ground to them and they’re obviously being cautious.

The fansite notices that the girl is wearing the presents she sent before. She can’t help but feel honored and satisfied with the thought that the brunette really does appreciate the things her fans give her. When she thinks she had enough bows and hellos to greet her, she opens the car door and speaks politely “After you.” 

Heejin expresses her slight shock by putting her hand on her chest and acts like it is a great honor to have a door opened by the redhead. Hyunjin giggles a bit as the idol proceeds to hop in, then makes her way to the other side towards the driver’s seat. 

After the fansite fastens her seatbelt, she lifts her head to see the idol look at her like an excited child. Out of panic, her words slip their way out of her mouth, and hands over an extra beverage from the cupholder “I-I got you an iced americano since it’s really sunny today.” 

“Thank you!” the celebrity says as she takes it away from her hands, looking out of the windshield afterward to continue her response “Yeah!” The weather is perfect! Just how I like it!” she turns back once more to say what she has been meaning to ask “So... where are we off to today?” However, Hyunjin feeds her curiosity even more by giving her a simple answer. 

_ “You just have to wait and see.” _

Heejin pouts then adjusts her position on the seat and continues to watch the life of Korea unfold as the day passes by.

“Do you want to play some music?” Hyunjin asks her since she can see how much she’s already enjoying, what more if she would play some jams in the background. She picks up her unlocked phone which is connected to the speakers and holds it up while keeping her eyes on the road. “Here. You can scroll through my playlist if you want to.” 

Heejin gladly takes it, knowing that it would be a great opportunity to get to learn more about her fansite and her tastes. As she scrolls through her playlist called “ _Aeong_ ”, she never expected it to contain hundreds of band songs. She chooses to play “Chocolate” by The 1975 and it definitely signals the beginning of all the fun they’re about to experience later.

The atmosphere was light and carefree as a few more bands get their turn, but something breaks Heejin into a burst of laughter. The celebrity didn’t know that Hyunjin would have a soft spot for Disney films, not until Into the Unknown starts to play full blast. She probably hasn’t scrolled that far down to her playlist to pass by it.

On the other hand, Hyunjin panics from embarrassment when she hears Elsa’s voice, because now there’s a weird shift of mood. It’s not her fault that she has only watched Frozen 2 recently and got that song stuck in her head for  _ forever.  _ However, being teased led her to skip to another song, and out of all the songs that were to be played, a specific song decides to make her wish that she could hide under a rock. 

_ ViViD.(acoustic mix version) - Heejin _

Before she clicks the skip button out of impulse, Heejin stops her from doing so. Rather, she sings along with it and the redhead suddenly loses her ability to speak when all she can hear is the beautiful live vocals of  _ the _ Jeon Heejin. 

While the idol sings her heart out, she can see Hyunjin stopping herself from smiling at the corner of her eye. As it reaches the end of the song, she speaks shyly to break the silence between them “Well, what do you think?” she asks then releases a small giggle.

“Hmm..” The fansite thinks, keeping her focus on the road since she knows that she can’t handle looking at the celebrity without getting extremely speechless. ”Never in my life would I have imagined Jeon Heejin sitting right next to me to give me a free private concert. I find it kinda funny...”

“Funny?” The brunette raises an eyebrow “How?”

“It’s funny how out of all the people  _ you _ were the one to pick up my phone and return it to me,” she repeats the beginning of how it all started. “If you didn’t pick up my phone that day, we wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be––” she pauses since she doesn’t know what the right term to use especially if she decides to use something they don’t mutually agree with.

“Friends?” 

_ Friends.  _ The driver did not think she would say it, but maybe they do share the same thoughts. “Y-Yeah...” the redhead is content from hearing her say it “I don’t think idols and fansites have ever been this close to one another.”

“I think so too... but, sometimes the most unexpected things are the best.” she says in a soft tone as she admires the clouds and blue sky.

Hyunjin can sense the sincerity her words carry, and it makes her feel even more special than she already is. Who would’ve thought a simple wish so far away no one could reach would come true in a way no one expected. 

It’s been around an hour and the air around them gets more comfortable as they talk more during the ride. From conversations about cats to anime to singing a few songs, the awkwardness definitely died down between them that they don’t notice how much time has passed by. They are clearly enjoying each other’s company. Although the longer they drive to their unknown destination, the more Heejin’s anticipation rises. Fortunately, it isn’t long until the redhead makes an announcement that makes her face to where they’re headed. “We’re here!”

Heejin drops her jaw all of a sudden. “No, you did not!” she accidentally shouts from disbelief, rubbings her eyes as she almost jumps off from her seat. “I––” she pauses when she sees the redhead twist her body to reach for something from the backseats.

“I only bring this on special occasions.” Hyunjin shows her a high-end looking film camera in her hand. “I just thought that maybe you would want to remember this day for a long time… So as your fansite, I promise to take good photos of you!”

It’s now Heejin’s turn to be speechless.

One second she wants to go crazy, the next she wants to cry from being so soft and mushy. She and her emotions are all over the place, overwhelmed by the amount of planning this probably took, but who wouldn’t be when she’s at the parking lot of the biggest amusement park in Korea,  _ Everland _ . 

The last memory she remembers of this place is when she was eating their churros with her family. She can’t recall as much since she was so young, but she knew this was a happy place for her, and she’s pretty sure that it isn’t just her who thinks of that,

Heejin makes her way out of the car and so does Hyunjin. There she is, frozen as she stares at the rollercoasters rides and colorful structures from afar. What snaps her out of her daze is the click from the camera behind her, making her turn around to the redhead. “Wait! I wasn’t ready!”

Hyunjin laughs after taking a candid shot of her but proceeds to take another one from a different angle as the idol strikes a pose. However, the redhead gets distracted when she hears a car drive by and stop behind her, making the celebrity look in the same direction. 

The door opens and they see two short blondes and a black-haired girl come out one by one. The idol marches toward them, more confused than mad. Hyunjin however, is the most confused out of all of them, so she watches from the sidelines. “ _ W-What are you guys doing here?!” _ the brunette asks.

“She dragged us here.” Hyejoo and Chaewon point at Yeojin who raises both her arms up as if she’s held at gunpoint. The two trainees are slightly pissed that they missed the gameplay they were looking forward to, but standing in front of the entrance of the amusement park seems to let them give Yeojin a chance to explain herself.

“Never knew you worked at the amusement park.” she scoffs “Wait until I tell Haseul-unnie about this.” the short blonde threatens her lightly by masking it with nervous laughter.

Of course, the idol feels terror run down her spine as she hears her manager’s name, but she had to counter-attack the loudmouth with another card. “Not if I tell her you skipped classes first.“ she says as she goes through her bag. However, she panics when she can’t find what she’s looking for. 

“Are you looking for this?” Yeojin waves her phone up and teases her. 

As Heejin is about to steal her device back, Hyunjin moves beside her to whisper behind her ear “D-Do you know these kids?“ 

The celebrity stops chasing the student council president to pay attention to the puzzled redhead, forgetting that she was behind her for a second. “That‘s Hyejoo, Yves’ younger sister. Chaewon. And—“ The brunette replies with the same volume, quickly introducing who they are for reference, but before she gets to finish, the manager’s little sister butts in.

“Hi, I’m Jo Yeojin, her manager’s younger sister.” She offers a handshake with her chin up high. Although she may be short and used to being looked down upon physically, it seems as though Hyunjin is the smaller person here. “Now, who are you? _ If I may ask _ .” she smiles mischievously at the idol.

“H-Hi, I’m..” she returns the handshake, only for her hand to be firmly squeezed by the short teen. “Kim Hyunjin.”

“Alright, well... you do know she might get in trouble by the hot ginger right?” Yeojin addresses the concern as they both look at the idol who doesn't look so well in managing her fear.

“Unnie, how are you going to manage to be in public when you don’t even have any cover-ups.” Hyejoo attacks her by being frank then continues along with Chaewon afterward “Maybe she’s just bad at sneaking out…”

The teens drag Heejin’s poor stealthy skills in front of her face and she gets a little pink from embarrassment. The fansite notices how worried the celebrity might be feeling, so she steps up to speak “She’ll be fine.”

“You’re not the idol here, miss Kim Hyunjin.” Yeojin snaps at her, catching her off guard and shocking her frozen “...the only way she’ll be okay if you were that sugar mommy fansite that could probably buy her the whole amusement park––” she chokes when she sees a familiar wording on the embroidery on the camera strap around her neck.

_ My Heekki. _

Yeojin glances at Heejin who has her eyes glaring at her like pointed knives, sending her a message telepathically that if she lets out a single word, she’ll have her ass handed over, and knowing how seriously the brunette planks, she wouldn’t want a taste of that.

Hyunjin smirks after hearing what the blonde just called her. “Well, that fansite might not have bought the park but, she  _ definitely  _ didn’t want to let Heejin line up and wait under the sun and be approached by fans every minute, so she rented out the whole place.”

“What?!” Hyejoo, Chaewon, Yeojin, and Heejin blurts out altogether, thinking of how crazy and  _ rich _ the redhead is. Even if most of them are under ViVi Entertainment, she probably earns more than Heejin for now and she had to train for years to get to her position.

“Surprise!” Hyunjin turns to Heejin, with a big smile and crescent eyes. 

_ Just who are you, Kim Hyunjin  _ the idol, asks herself out of amazement. She has never seen or met anyone like the redhead throughout her entire life, but she’s convinced that she has some magic up her sleeves or something. She doesn’t know how she does it, yet she’s more than grateful to the point she’s getting way too shy.

“Here” Yeojin grabs Heejin’s hand and places the phone on her palm. “I’m sorry we followed you  _ ha ha ha  _ just pretend that we weren’t here and enjoy your date or whatever  _ ha ha ha.”  _ she backs away while she pulls the two trainees with her and grasps her wallet in her bag. 

Although they distance themselves from the two older women. Her eyes widen when she sees that she doesn’t have enough for a ride back. She turns around to Hyejoo and Chaewon without saying a word, but her whole facial expression says it all.

“You know you still owe us right?” The blonde trainee reminds her. 

As the three trainees start to argue again, the chaos of their voices can be heard by Heejin and Hyunjin who just sighs from the sight. “I wouldn’t really mind having more company. They seem like…  _ interesting kids. _ ” the fansite mentions with a kind tone to her voice. “Remember, this is your day, your call.”

“You sure?” the idol asks for assurance and receives an affirming nod. Afterward, she yells loudly to call the attention of the teenagers from a far distance “Hey! Come back here!”

***

**_12 missed calls_ **

“Why isn’t she answering? She can’t possibly still be mad at me overeating her tteokbokki… _ Is she?”  _

As Haseul marches her way towards the company’s cafeteria, she begins to overthink whether her little sister holds a grudge against her. Yeojin is supposed to be out of school by now, and she surely knows that her sibling never lets go of her phone. 

_ But aren’t we sisters though? Sisters are supposed to share … yeah, sharing is carin— _

While the manager talks to herself unconsciously, she happens to spot an awfully familiar ginger that can make her heart flutter just by standing outside the company’s main balcony. Because of that, she completely forgets about her sister as she slowly backtracks to admire the side profile of the CEO from afar. 

_ Somehow, her world stops for a split second.  _ She can only hear the pounding of her heart ringing in her ears and feel her lips curl up into a soft smile. 

Although they are practically close friends, she still wouldn’t have the courage to come up to her even if she wanted to, but today is different. This time she makes her first move to initiate a conversation.

She pushes the glass door and makes her way unnoticed to lean on the railings, unintentionally eavesdropping on a phone call Vivi is taking.

_ “Should we perhaps schedule a meeting to discuss these matters? Yes, Thursday afternoon sounds perfect… Okay, okay, I will see you by then, CEO Park. It’s been a pleasure to talk to you as well, goodbye.”  _ The line hangs up, and Vivi closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath out.

“A-Are you okay, Vivi?”

The ginger flinches, almost dropping her phone from her hands. She turns around immediately, irritated from the sudden shock, but all of the annoyance she feels disappears when she sees Haseul smiling happily.

“You seem really stressed after taking that call, huh? Are you okay?” 

Vivi feels some sense of comfort and she knows that it’s definitely something about her voice. How gentle, warm, and assuring it is to hear. Of course, she won’t admit it in front of the manager, but she would listen to Haseul’s stories and jokes all day just to hear her voice. 

Although her heart feels the same way as Haseul right now, the amount of energy that rushes through her bloodstreams can’t hide the eyebags and lousy arms brought by her exhaustion.

“Well, Park Jihyo, the CEO of JHP Entertainment, reached out personally to say that she would like to share her interests in regards to working along with the company,” Vivi explains as she looks towards the city view below them. 

Haseul stays quiet as she listens. Anything that involves JHP Ent. is a serious topic when talking to the ginger. Both women are competitive in their own leagues, and usually, their secretaries are the ones handling these types of situations. However, the manager is surprised that Park Jihyo is the one who spoke to Vivi. 

“The business meetings never seem to end… I’ve been busier lately and my body can't keep up.” The CEO vents a bit about her condition. Although she has been doing this for a long time, the rapid growth of the company, and maybe a small influence from aging, causes her to be more prone to headaches and sicknesses.

“Hmm… What did you do today? You know, other than business meetings” Haseul asks out of curiosity, hoping it’ll help her talk about her emotions and stresses that she deals with every day.

When it comes to talking to the manager, Vivi never grows tired of it. She starts off by mentioning how she’s been getting 4 hours of sleep this week and how she had to go to work earlier than usual to give a run down to Jung Jinsoul, the new music producer she hired recently.

“Oh! I think I met her earlier today, was she the one you were talking about before?” Haseul asks since she saw Vivi going through a pile of resumes with other higher-up employees. 

“No, she wasn’t part of the list of applicants.” In this company, everyone is carefully picked. Vivi is that picky of a person when quality is involved. It is established that she gets the final say in everything and luckily, her instincts never failed the company. “Sooyoung recommended her to me a few weeks ago. I was able to schedule an interview with her and in the end, she’s the one who stood out, so I hired her.”

Considering that the list of applicants consisted of elite, masters degree holders, and extreme workaholics, those aren’t the only qualities Vivi looks for in her empire. It’s how their interviews and portfolios get their first impression from the CEO, 

“Then, I dropped by to watch each trainee’s monthly evaluation, and unfortunately, I made three girls go back home...” the ginger continues to speak without any guilt or sadness behind her tone.

Haseul gets chills when she sees Vivi unbothered from her words. “Why?” she asks politely. The manager is probably the only one between them that always feels bad when someone leaves, whether it may be an employee or a trainee. 

Although it is established from the industry that not everyone can achieve their dreams, it’s unusual for three trainees to be eliminated all at once. It may be normal for other agencies, but in ViVi Entertainment, only one trainee is asked to leave when they don’t reach certain expectations.

The CEO faces her with her arms crossed “Well, one had a secret relationship with one of the male trainees, the other was seen drinking in Gangnam and the last one didn’t pass the evaluation.” she sighs in disappointment “But rules are rules and rules are supposed to be followed.”

“Oh.” Haseul sighs sadly when she’s reminded that her feelings for the ginger are somewhat against the rules, yet she can’t help but admire her from afar and be there for her when she needs someone. Despite her realization, she accepts her explanation as to why she did that to those poor girls.

“You know... when they saw me enter the room, no one dared to look at me straight to the eye.” Vivi opens up out of the blue. “Am I  _ that  _ scary? Are you scared of me, Haseul?” she asks for an honest opinion from someone who personally knows her more than anyone else in the company.

“Yeah, a little...” Haseul can see the ginger’s eyes staring at her, so she thinks of a continuation to her answer, making sure she doesn’t end up getting fired on the spot. “W-Wait. Maybe scary is the wrong term! Maybe just a little intimidating! Yes, that’s the word  _ ha ha ha.  _ B-but! you’re actually very kind, considerate... clever… pretty…”

Vivi looks at Haseul as her thoughts go out of track, but she doesn’t stop her, rather she wants to listen to what she thinks of her. As the list goes on, her cheeks start to show a pink hue.

“ ...did I say clever? Wait, I think I did. Oh! and—” The manager bites her tongue when she sees Vivi is smiling at her because of the amount of time she was complimenting her. 

“ _ cute.” _ The CEO whispers under her breath.

Haseul noticed her lips move, but she doesn’t seem to have caught what she said. “Huh?” she says, hoping she didn’t weird out her own boss, let alone the CEO of the top entertainment company in Korea.

“I didn’t say anything.” Vivi walks back at the glass door quickly so Haseul doesn’t see her face burn up. ”Anyways I still have another business meeting to attend to… Will you be working late tonight?”

The ginger stops before going back in.  _ Please say yes _ she thinks to herself. Lately, she’s been wanting to spend time with Haseul. She knows how happy her heart gets, how much energy the manager gives her without trying.

_ This time, it’s her turn to make a move _ . Vivi turns around to look at Haseul who’s smiling back at her.

“Sana asked me if she wanted to get dinner together.. but–”

_ Sana?  _ The ginger feels her heartache a little.  _ Since when were they close? _ she wonders. She has never seen her secretary and the manager hold a full conversation at all, so this was new information to her. “Oh, no it’s okay.” Vivi looks away and pushes the door “you two have fun.”

And just like that, she leaves Haseul on the balcony alone, giving the manager no time to respond a proper farewell.

_ “But, I wanted to get dinner with you” _

***’

Most people may say that amusement parks are all about rides and a group of friends. Some may come for the thrill and some may even come for the experience. However, there are a few who come for their famous churros, specifically a celebrity, a fansite, a student council president, and two trainees.

All five pairs of eyes watch carefully as their snacks get deep-fried in oil, drooling as they see it turn into a golden brown color, ready for it to be eaten hot and fresh from the fryer. Even Hyunjin, who is supposed to take a candid picture of the group, got distracted by how delicious it looked and smelled. The employees shoot the churros into a paper bag, along with their requested dips, and hand it to them individually. 

As the others find a table to sit in, Hyunjin takes the responsibility to pay for everything today including food and drinks, which brought joy to her guests especially the three teens. Heejin waits for the redhead until she’s done so they can walk together. Since each table was made for groups of three, they all settled down separately, somehow also giving them a little privacy to talk to one another.

“Mmmm! I’m gonna cry, this is  _ so _ good!” Heejin moans from its sweet taste after dipping the perfectly made churro into a chocolate sauce.

Hyunjin laughs when she sees her eyes actually water from joy. “Here, let me take a picture of you,” she says politely. The idol moves her chair back a little so she can strike a cute pose as the sunlight naturally helps her photo look prettier.

Every single time Hyunjin looks at the viewfinder, she has to pause for a moment to appreciate how breath-taking the celebrity is, and while her face is mostly covered, she takes the opportunity to compliment her looks. 

However, as the fansite clicks the button, a few pigeons coincidentally fly over them. The idol immediately curls into a ball with her legs up on the seat, covering her head and hiding her precious churros from getting stolen. “H-Help me..”

“They’re just birds, unnie..” Yeojin tries to stop her laugh as the brunette doesn't move from her place.

“Yeah, they don’t bite, unlike Yeojin.” Hyejoo joins in to tease the blonde, receiving a laugh from her girlfriend but a weak slap from her friend.

“Are you scared of pigeons?” the redhead asks in a jokingly tone, but she gets a genuinely afraid response from the girl.

“Very.”

Hyunjin lets out a soft chuckle as she stands up to shoo the pigeons away. After swinging her arms around like a weirdo, she squats in front of Heejin. “Hey, don’t worry you’re safe now” she whispers. The idol takes a peek from the spaces from her hair to see her giving a reassuring smile. “Here, I’ll take another one of you smiling this time.”

While the two older women recover from the pigeon attack, the three friends discuss one another. “Are they together or… is it just me?” Chaewon mumbles among them.

“I mean, renting this whole place seems  _ kinda _ gay, don’t you think?” Yeojin attempts to lower her voice for once.

“We literally crashed their date, but I have no regrets.” the raven-haired trainee brushes it off like it’s nothing and continues to munch on her churro.

“Let’s give them a little push, shall we?” the shorter blonde calls their attention when an idea pops in her, but both of the trainees know she wouldn’t hold back even if they stopped her. They’re willing to join in anyway, that’s what makes their friendship special. “Hey... Why won’t you take a picture together? Hand me the camera, glucose guardian.’ she bosses her..

Hyunjin stutters, searching for an excuse because of how shy she is. It never occurred to her that both of them do not have a photo together, but before she speaks, Heejin pulls the redhead next to her.

“Closer.” Yeojin orders them while gesturing them to fill in the gap. “A little bit closer…”

The distance between the brunette and the fansite is almost non-existent, their hands are touching each other. Hyunjin starts to stiffen up as her cheeks turn a bit red. Although they are already on talking terms, there are still moments like this where her nervousness gets the best of her, but she tries to hide it with a toothy smile. 

“Just a bit more!”

While Hyunjin listens to the younger girl, she flinches out of shock when Heejin slips her arm to link it with hers and rests her head on her shoulder. She looks at the corner of her eye and she can see how happy she is, which makes her heart beat faster. What she doesn’t notice is the flash of the camera that captures her unconsciously admiring the celebrity.

“Perfect!” Yeojin exaggerates her movements to just give them a thumbs-up before she returns the camera. They all return to their seats and proceed to pick up where their conversation ended with. 

After spending around 20 minutes fooling around and laughing at corny jokes, waiting for their food to digest, they head to their first destination. _Everland’s_ _Double Rock Spin, supposedly_ one of the most anticipated rides with the longest line that could make you wait for 3 to 4 hours if you don’t have a VIP pass.

Yeojin and Chaewon start running and swerving along with the metal dividers, racing their way to reach the staff manning the ride first while the Hyejoo walks behind them, judging their childish antics. “C’mon, we don’t have all day!” The shorter blonde shouts at Heejin and Hyunjin who are taking their time to stroll and take pictures around the place. At this point, it seems more like Yeojin’s surprise than the idol herself, but honestly, the two older women do enjoy the noise and chaos of the trio. 

Heejin jogs to catch up, but she notices that Hyunjin isn’t beside her so she looks behind her just to sees the redhead walking at the same pace as they did a while ago. She marches to her and takes her hand. “Let’s go slowpokes” she teases, dragging her to the ride.

“Yeojin, are you sure you can ride this?” Chaewon asks her as she points at something behind her.

“Huh? What do you mea––?” she gasps when she realizes that she’s pointing at the height requirement for people under 4.5 ft. The girl growls and attempts to attack the trainee with mini punches on the arm but Hyejoo stops her when the staff begins to speak.

‘Please make sure you leave all your valuables on the shelf over there.” the employee reminds them as he checks the safety equipment installed on the seats. Afterward. they go to their respective places. (Hyunjin, Heejin, Yeojin, Chaewon, Hyejoo)

Heejin looks to her right just to see Sooyoung’s little sister closing her eyes, gripping onto Chaewon’s hand as if her life depends on it, and Yeojin hyping up by wiggling her legs uncontrollably. Lastly, she turns to her left to spot Hyunjin taking a deep breath out, obviously sweating from nervousness.. “Are you scared of heights?” she asks since she seems too quiet for someone in an amusement park.

“N-No I’m not––  **AAAAH!** ” Hyunjin screams bloody murder when the ride begins unexpectedly. They were brought up in the air at such rapid speed that all of them couldn’t process any sort of preparation. 

As Heejin, Yeojin, and Chaewon laugh from the ticklish feeling they get from their stomachs, Hyejoo and Hyunjin can’t open their eyes at the slightest. It’s not even caused by the wind from the air resistance but rather from the terror of heights and drops. The ride lasts for approximately two minutes, however, for the two girls seated on each end, it seems like a lifetime. 

The thrill eventually comes to an end, and Yeojin hops off the ride to make fun of Hyejoo who actually shed a few tears. She may look tough outside, but she definitely has a soft interior. One proof that validates the statement is the moment the raven-haired girl embraces Chaewon who simply laughs and pats her back.

As Yeojin checks up on the other two behind her, she gets hit with the realization that she’s fifth-wheel in the group. “You can let go of her hand now,” she teases Hyunjin who slowly opens her eyes, not aware that she’s squeezing the idol’s hand.

“ _ I-I’m sorry! _ ” she apologizes to Heejin, letting go of her hand immediately. 

“Cute.” Heejin giggles “it’s okay, feel free to hold my hand when you’re scared.” she offers the fansite, which makes her face burn from embarrassment. 

_ It happens again, but this time it’s like no one else exists except for the brunette. _

Hyunjin finds her giggling from ear to ear, maybe even in slow-mo. Although she doesn’t know what's happening, she can’t help but smile as well 

And then, time begins to move again as reality sinks back in when both girls hear Yeojin’s loud voice “Up next, bumper cars!”

***

“Guys, we’re here.”

Heejin proceeds to wake the three teens sitting on the backseat. One is leaning on the window, while the other two are resting their heads on each other’s shoulder while holding hands. 

Hyejoo wakes up first, barely in the right state of mind, but she gently shakes Chaewon who seems to look a little grumpy. Just like a domino effect, the trainee taps Yeojin whose body reacts violently from shock. All of them excluding Hyunjin take off their seat belts and begin to exit the car.

Hyejoo and Chaewon bows half asleep while expressing their gratitude for today then hop out on the other side of the car. As for Yeojin, her loud and energetic voice fills the car once again “Thank you, sugar momma-unnie! You’re the realest! The best fansite ever!” She exclaims loudly. “... I’ll be waiting for my laptop, okay? Thanksss!!” 

“Wha—“ Hyunjin doesn’t get to finish since the blonde runs towards her friends making their way to the elevators. 

“Hey.” Heejin catches the redhead’s attention “Thank you for today... I-I really mean it. I can’t believe you rented the whole amusement park just for me, you really didn’t have to.” she pouts with her brown puppy eyes. “...thank you, like  _ really _ .”

“You’re welcome.” The redhead says with the utmost sincerity from the bottom of her heart.“If ever you feel like going somewhere, I’m always here.”

The celebrity melts into mush after hearing those words. She still doesn’t understand how she deserved a whole Kim Hyunjin by her side nor all the things she does for her. It’s crazy how unbothered she looks when she just spent tons, probably more than her bank account has as of the moment. 

One thing that keeps her thinking is _ how can she repay her back? _ but she’ll figure that out some other time.

“I’ll take note of that, Hyungenie.” They both cringe at the fansite’s silly nickname. The brunette states out the window, where the apartment building stands, and sighs deeply “Honestly, I do not want to go back to work yet. Today was so fun, I never wanted it to end..” 

“Well, it doesn’t have to. Not yet.” Hyunjin smirks and points on her side of the window “I mean there’s still a bit of sun left, but only if you want to…”

The idol looks in the same direction. It’s nearing sunset and she’s worried whether or not someone would look for her especially since work hours are practically over. However, she wouldn’t mind a little thrill from time to time. 

_ Not everyone gets a crazy day like this one. _

She buckles her seatbelt back and locks the door, prepared to venture once again. “No need for questions. Of course, I would!”

The redhead smiles, putting her hands on the steering wheel. “Okay then! I guess there’s one place we could go to...” she says as she starts up the stereo so they could vibe along with the music.

This time, the drive isn’t too far away… or maybe Heejin just isn’t aware of how long that drive really was. Both of the girls were too immersed in all the music playing in the background to even check the clock. All that really mattered to them was fun. 

Now that they’ve arrived at their destination, Heejin switches back to reality to pay attention to where they are parked. She looks outside to see what seems to be a fenced area with a wide football field inside of it.

It brings her to wonder, why Hyunjin brought here. But it’s not like she’s complaining either.

The fansite unlocks the small gate that leads them inside. Conveniently, she keeps a key with her. “Let’s sit up there.” She guides them towards the top of the bleachers. 

“ _ Woah _ .”

Heejin gasps as she admires the cotton candy sky, fluffy white clouds, and warm orange sun.  _ Beautiful _ is all she can describe it and all she can really say. It’s enough to make her lose her choice of words.

While the brunette is busy appreciating the world, Hyunjin’s eyes find their way of looking at a different view — Heejin. 

The redhead notices some things her camera lens can never capture up close. The way her eyes light up and her lips naturally curl into a smile, way different when she does it consciously _. _

_ Only memories can keep those moments. _

“I don’t really bring people here, you know?” Hyunjin breaks the silence. “You’re probably the first one.”

The celebrity turns around when the girl sparks her curiosity “Why not?”

“This place…” she pauses to think “...this place is really dear to me.”

Heejin sits down next to the fansite and crosses her legs “Well, what makes me special?” She says lightly, but she detects the change of atmosphere when the redhead goes silent for a few seconds.

“My life has never been the happiest unlike some… My life has always been determined by people who say they ‘love’ me.” She looks from a distance, her hands fidgeting from vulnerability. “Even when I never felt any part of that ‘love’.”

And when Heejin thought she knew Hyunjin after weeks of talking to her, it just shows how much she actually doesn’t. it just started, but her heart already breaks for her. She proceeds to lend her an ear as she continues her story. 

“But,  _ this… _ this is where I always end up running back to.  _ My happy place, my second home.”  _ she gives an assuring smile. “Eventually, all the remaining happiness I had left has to come to an end by the one person I cared the most, and ever since then, I never came back…”

_ Someone broke her heart and her dreams. Heejin _ can feel the pain behind the redhead’s words. All this time, the smiley and sweet Hyunjin she sees, is slowly falling apart inside and she wishes she could take all that sadness away because all she has done is make people happy. However. before she reacts, the fansite continues.

“Until one day, I made the very first decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

The brunette tilts her head as she searches for an answer in the girl’s eyes “And what is that?”

“to become your fansite...” Hyunjin laughs softly, slightly embarrassed from her confession “As weird as it sounds, I’ve seen how passionate you are up close, I’ve seen the joy in your eyes whenever you would perform… and one day I just thought you know, what if I come back? 

“So you did…” The celebrity’s voice starts to crack. She feels like all her hard work has was worth it because she was able to give someone the strength they needed to follow their dreams, and this means as much to her as it is with the redhead.

“and it’s all because of you, Heejin.”

The brunette fails to realize the tears streaming down her face until Hyunjin panics and tries to act quickly to stop her from crying. “W-Why are you crying, shouldn’t I be the one crying?” Hyunjin laughs to lighten the mood.

“Let me be proud of you.” Heejin retorts jokingly as she wipes her tears gently. “I never knew you played football… I’ll make sure to cheer for you next time. I’ll be  _ your _ number one fan.” she pokes the fansite on her thigh

Hyunjin pretends to fangirl by gasping for air “ _ Oh my god? Jeon Heejin? My fan?  _ What an honor!” she places her hand on her chest and proceeds to bow down.

“Shut up...” Heejin comments sarcastically while the other girl begins to calm down. The silence comes back and there is still one thing lingering in her mind “Can I ask you something?” 

“Go ahead.” Hyunjin nods.

“What happened to the person you cared about the most?”

The redhead exhales deeply, and the idol doesn’t feel good about that. She doesn’t know whether or not she crossed the line, but she acts accordingly to lessen the awkwardness “Nevermind, that was a bad questio––”

“They dumped me… I guess I’ve never been lucky with love huh?” She takes it in delicately since she knows that the celebrity does not mean to snoop in her business. “How about you? Have you ever been in love before?”

“We can’t really date anyone until after the ban is lifted.” she answers quickly as if she has it memorized.

“How about those two? Hyejoo and Chaewon.” the fansite mentions the trainees she met earlier. Since her thoughts about how dating works in ViVi Entertainment are basically confirmed, she wonders what those two have to go through. 

“Hyejoo acts differently around Chaewon than Yeojin, she’s gentle. They share airpods, churros, and drinks. I even saw them holding hands below the table and on the way home.” She has always been good with small details and observations, she can tell that they are more than friends. “...They aren’t exactly good at hiding it,” she says bluntly.

“They have a lot ahead of them, that’s all I can say.” the idol worries.

“Anyways…” Hyunjin goes back to the main topic “You don’t have to necessarily date someone to fall in love with them.” she reasons out.

_ In love? Have I ever been in love?  _ She asks herself and for a moment, all her flashbacks play in her mind. 

The smile whiskers,

The guitar serenades,

The air-fried cookies that somehow look like a chicken nugget.

All of it ties up to one person and that’s when she accepts the fact that  _ she had fallen in love.  _

“My best friend, I fell in love with my best friend.”

***

“How much does it cost?” Yerim asks politely, although quite in a rush to receive an answer.

It’s a little past dinner time, and she couldn’t wait for her best friend to arrive any longer. She’s been waiting for at least 2 hours in her apartment, wondering where the hell Hyunjin has gone to. By this time she would’ve been done by training or her usual whereabouts, but since then she has been missing for a while and all she can get a quick meal out of is a good pizza delivery.

While the girl grabs a few bills from her wallet, she sees a different pair of feet approach her. “ ** _Oh!_** You’re finally back! I got us pizza!” she hands her payment to the man and picks up the box of pizza to show it off to the redhead.

“I didn’t know you were here…” Hyunjin follows behind her best friend and closes the door. She settles down on her desk where her laptop is placed. She isn’t really surprised whenever the purple-haired girl is in her apartment since she considered Yerim to be family anyway (not to mention she knows the passcode to her door)

“Where were you?” Her best friend asks as she takes slices of pizza for her and Hyunjin while it’s still warm. She hands her a plate and drags a chair to sit next to her.

“I went to Everland with Heejin and… a few teenagers?” she shares while she takes out her film camera carefully.

Yerim stops chewing her food and starts to whine. “ **_Why didn’t you tell me?! I wanted to go!”_ ** She pouts with sad eyes, feeling betrayed because she always loved visiting amusement parks especially with the redhead

Hyunjin suddenly panics when she sees Yerim teary eyes. “But… D-Didn’t you have work?” She stutters as she tries to comfort her friend, obviously feeling guilty for not asking her to come beforehand.

“Nope, Chuu-unnie closed the shop today… and since I had time, I even got you a gift. Look.” She says sadly as she points at the small paper bag with a big yellow logo printed on it. 

The fansite redirects her gaze and squeals in less than a second when she sees that Yerim fulfilled her promise on buying her bread from her favorite bakery. 

“I guess, I’m taking it with m—“ 

Hyunjin squeezes Yerim into an embrace and begs her with her whole life not to bring it with her. Although the girl tries to escape, she already acknowledges how strong the redhead is. So rather than using up her energy, she gives up, letting her best friend win the argument in the end while they laugh it off. 

As they calm down, Hyunjin goes back to the topic “Anyways, why did she close the shop today?” 

Yerim bounces on her seat to face her body towards the redhead. “Wait what, you don’t know?” she leans a little forward as she asks in disbelief.

“No?” she whispers, moving backward to keep the distance between them.

“ **_Chuu-unnie brought Jungeun-unnie to the nail salon earlier today because my sister is proposing tonight!”_ ** Yerim exclaims with extreme joy in her eyes. She’s genuinely so happy for her older sister and her future sister-in-law since she has probably been waiting for ages to see them finally get married. “ _ Ah!  _ I just love  _ love _ , you know?”

“Well, what is love for you anyways…” she scoffs jokingly, but she can see her friend preparing a long speech in her head through the gleam in her eyes.

Yerim begins to chatter around about her love life. She figures that she has always been single ever since because of her standards. However, she talks about how much she loves love and how it probably feels like to be in love. She talks about the butterflies, the sparks, the way your heart aches because of how full it is.

On the other hand, Hyunjin just listens to the girl while she holds onto her film camera. She hasn’t always been against love, but she also doesn’t look for it, unlike her best friend. She isn’t someone who falls in love at first sight, she isn’t someone who can go on a first date and make a decision about her feelings, she’s the person who needs to have a deeper connection.

However, as Yerim keeps going, Hyunjin’s thoughts bring her somewhere…  _ Somewhere familiar, somewhere warm. _

“Love makes you do things you never imagine doing.”

“Love is like going skydiving with them even if you’re scared of dying. _.” _

_ Everland. _

“Love is like giving away the last piece of bread instead of eating it.” 

_ Drumsticks. _

_ “ _ Love is like a warm hug on a cold night.”

_ Han River. _

Her words echo through the redhead’s mind and for a moment, she stops to think 

_ why does only one name come to her mind _

“Love comes when you least expect it…  
and eventually, you'll just know that it has been because of love all along.”

Yerim stops when she flinches from Hyunjin dropping her camera on the table by accident.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys think? hihi I really like reading comments so don't be afraid to tell me! Also, I might release a bonus chapter since some people are requesting one for lipsoul, but November is a really busy and important month for me so let's see! :D
> 
> PS: don't forget to stream "Why Not" and 12:00! Take care everyone! <3
> 
> (Twitter: @stanzbl)  
> (CuriousCat: @stanzbl)


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